Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor
by Onikage
Summary: Raiko swayed to his feet and saw the large mythical minotaur getting ready to charge him. His head dipped several times before coming at the dazed warlord at a speed that rivaled any beast he had ever known. ::HIATUS::
1. Random Mishaps

*Takes big sigh of relief* Finally! I really hate revisions, don't you? But it's done. It's done! It's finally done! Now I can die happy... no, wait. I need to finish this story first! Hahaha... Now all I need to do is sit down with a nice cup of tea, computer, and imagination and write my brains out! Yeah, some of the names (and last names) sound familiar, huh? Well, I'm an anime nut like everyone else and you tend to use some of the great stuff. Plus, I had a head cold while writing this so, get off my case, will ya? 

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll One: Random Mishaps

The clock on the classroom wall read five twenty-nine. Jusenkyo High School classes were about to end for the day and it had decided to take its sweet time getting there. _Come on, you stupid bell! Ring already!_ thought Tori as she fidgeted at her desk as she stared at the clock. She was dimly aware of Sensei Nakao's lethargic, irksome voice droning on and on, giving some discourse about grades. Or was it grapes? Maybe spades. Whatever it was, she didn't make the effort to care.

"Tori? Are you paying attention?" Sensei Nakao stopped beside her desk and peered down at her. Her presence gave off an air of snobbery that made Tori's wavy red hair curl. 

"Uhh... yes, Sensei."

"Really?" Sensei Nakao smirked and laid a stapled stack of papers face down on her desk. "Well... your grades speak otherwise," she said, continuing to walk down her row, passing back papers. 

Tori breathed a sigh of relief as her strict teacher moved farther and farther from her desk. Tori flipped the paper over and hope by some miraculous act of god that she made a passing grade. She saw her grade and groaned, slamming her head on her desk. _Sonofa... 'Jiisan isn't going to be pleased,_ Tori thought. The bell rang and she shoved her test paper into her school bag grumbling some very inappropriate phrases directed towards her science teacher. _At least today's daily dose of Hell is over... Now I can go home and-_

"Tori?" Sensei Nakao interrupted her thoughts.

Tori groaned inwardly. She sighed, trying to release some of the day's irritation that had built up during the day. "Yes, Sensei?" She knew what was coming. Yet another lecture on good study habits and using her time more efficiently for homework and a lot more crap that Tori already knew and was tired of hearing it.

"Tori, I've been watching you for over the past few weeks and I'm not happy with what I'm observing." 

_Observing?! What am I - a science experiment?! _Tori thought angrily. 

Her teacher continued, "Which is why I'm assigning you to come in every day after school to-"

"What?!" Tori exclaimed. "I can't do that, I-"

"Young lady!!" her teacher snapped. "Let me remind you that you're treading on thin ice! Your grades are terrible and there's no excuse for it! You will stay after school everyday, starting Monday, until your grades improve or until I see that you are fit enough to pass my class!!" Tori's brow furrowed in response. Her teacher's anger then went through the roof. "Disobeying me will only result in your suspension and absolutely no chance of passing at all!! I don't think that you can afford another bad report on your record! One more and you are out of this school! Do I make myself perfectly clear, Miss Masaki?!" 

Tori winced as her teacher's voice rose slightly at the end. "Yes, Sensei..." Tori bowed and walked out of the classroom, slamming the door behind her. "Ouuu, the absolute nerve of that woman!" Tori fumed as she walked briskly down the hallway and to her locker. "I can't believe that she actually-" Tori was so furious that she couldn't even finish her sentence, much less open her locker on the first try. She slammed her head on to her locker and sighed heavily, "This has been one hell of a day..." She then glanced at her watch, realizing the time. "Oh nooo!! I'm gonna miss the last bus!!" 

*****

Douji Anubis, former Warlord of Cruelty, now divine warrior of Loyalty, sat in his car waiting for the traffic light to change. He sat drumming his fingertips on the steering wheel.

_What was so important that the Ancient wanted to see me so urgently for?_ he thought as the light finally changed. He sighed heavily as he heard the fury of thunder crash above him. Rain began to gently fall against the windshield, droning out the roar of the outside city life.

_Ohh, yet another rainy afternoon... it's been a while since I've seen the sun,_ he thought as he tapped at the crystal ornament hanging on his rearview mirror. _I wish something interesting would happen - anything!_ He turned right at the corner of the high school, Jusenkyo High... 

*****

_Ohh, pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease!! Please don't lemme miss it! _Tori prayed as she ran through the courtyard. "I don't wanna have to walk home!" She turned the corner and saw the bus in her sights. It was so close! "Thank you god!" she cheered, unaware of the crack in the sidewalk.

She tripped.

All her books went everywhere along with her papers. "Ohh, noo! Damn the luck! Nothing ever goes right!" She pounded her fist into the ground as the bus pulled away. "Ohh, what a cruel, cruel world..." Tori grumbled as she pulled herself up onto her knees to gather her belongings. "Man, what _else_ can go wrong?!"

The sky rumbled with the roar of Heaven and its wet downpour of her defeat showered upon her with its mockery. _Even the heavens are laughing..._ "Wonderful. Fucking wonderful!" Tori grabbed her bag and began to walk down the street in the rain, not even caring if she got wet or not. And she wasn't about to take another chance with the uneven sidewalk again. She checked her watch and sighed, "Maybe I can make it home before dark... if the rain lets up."

It began to rain harder and the wind began to pick up. Tori groaned and hung her head continuing on. She was unaware of what was about to happen next. 

*****

Anubis flipped on his windshield wipers and sighed again, "Goodness, it's really coming down." He glanced out the window and winced as the rain began to fall in a slant. _I would hate to be the poor soul walking in this acrimony..._ He drove on.

Suddenly, there was a flash of lighting and an explosion. A bolt of lighting struck the telephone pole and caused a nearby tree to fall right in front of Anubis' car. "GODS!" he snarled, turning the car sharply as the giant tree missed the back right end of his sports car. Just when he thought that the worst was over, he felt the front end of the car dip. "What the?!" There was a flash of fluorescent light. In those brief seconds, Anubis saw a pair of bronze eyes stare fixedly at him, surrounded by a halo of a golden copper frame.

_What in the seven hells was that?!_ his mind exclaimed. Anubis slammed on the brakes as the light vanished. As the car skidded to a halt, the lightning flashed again. The copper figure had vanished. "Wh-what just happened?" he breathed aloud. Anubis stepped out of the car, rain immediately began to plaster his hair on his face. He looked around, "Gods, I really hope I didn't hurt anybody..."

His gaze fell upon a young woman, lying lifeless on the ground. Masses of copper strands of her hair surrounded her body. "Dammit!" Anubis exclaimed. "Watch me get sued..." He rushed to her side and touched her rain plastered forehead gently. He sighed with relief as she moved, "Thank the gods that she's still breathing... I need to get her out of this weather quickly." He gently picked her up and carried her to his car. _I hope the Ancient can do something for her... _he thought.

He buckled the young girl into the passenger seat and covered her with his jacket. "This is all I can do for you now, little one..." he said to her. Closing the car door carefully, he circled around the front end of his car. He saw her bag lying in the rain, picking it up it up he saw the ID tag on the buckle. "Jusenkyo High School. Student number: 289. Masaki, Tori. Grade 12," he read aloud. Then he gasped, "Masaki?! She's... Kaos' granddaughter. She must be..." _That would explain why she looked the way she did. Those eyes show a lot of strength within her._

Anubis got in his car and gave his new... passenger a long look. Suddenly, he felt the warm heat of his yoroi crystal react in his jean pocket. Reaching inside, he pulled it out. It glowed with an awesome intensity. "What on Earth?" he whispered. _Why is it reacting? What's it trying to tell me?_ It then stopped. 

Tori stirred and slowly opened her eyes. "Ohh... Wh-what happened?

"Good... you're coming out of it." 

*****

" 'Sake? What's the matter? Something on your mind?" Nasake's ebony haired friend Megami asked. 

Nasake snapped from her reverie and gave her friend a blank look. "Huh? What?" 

Megami laughed, "There you go again... in your little dream world. Are you feeling okay?" 

Nasake blushed lightly. "W-was I? Sorry, I'm fine. Just concerned," she finished softly.

" 'Bout what?" her other friend Sakura asked. She looked up from her schoolwork and smiled at her, eager to know. 

"Tori... she's not home yet. And she said she's meet us here at six! It's almost seven-thirty!" she exclaimed. 

Sakura looked at Tori's clock on the bedroom wall and gasped, "Whoa! Tori's late! Really late!"

"What the hell's keeping... oh, wait. She may have missed the bus _again_!" another grumbled. She had blonde hair that had a silver tint to it. 

"Domo... she's _always_ missing the bus, remember?" Megami stated with an exasperated sigh. 

Domo blushed lightly, "Oh... yeah."

"Should we tell Masaki-san?" Nasake suggested. 

Domo looked out the window; the recent storm front had gotten a lot fiercer. "Yeah... I hope she's okay. It's really pouring."

"It's gotten really dark, really early. Hope it doesn't mean what I think it means," Sakura said, joining her friend at the window. 

Megami blinked, her green eyes were wide in amazement. "Yeah it... did. God! The sky is so black! I don't think I've _ever_ seen it this black before!"

"You don't think that..." Sakura began. 

Domo shook her head, "Nononononono... don't even think it! Remember it's just a stupid legend that Masaki-san told us..." Sakura gave her a blank look; Domo sighed, "Le-gend. L-E-G-E-N-" 

Sakura frowned, "I KNOW HOW TO SPELL LEGEND, DOMO!" she snapped. 

Domo snorted, "And I suppose you want a cookie now, huh?" she smiled wryly. 

Sakura's sea-blue eyes narrowed. "Watch it Kyoka... I-" 

Suddenly, a snow-white-haired girl, no more than three, burst into the room screaming, " 'Sake! 'Gami! Domo! Sakura!! 'Ri-san's home!" 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah, this is my first attempt at a serious fic... well, actually, this is my first fic I actually wanted to put online! Sorry it's so short. The chapters get longer, I promise! Send me feedback on this, okay? Onikage84@aol.com


	2. Patience Is A Virtue

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Two: Patience Is A Virtue

" 'Ri-san is hooome!!" sang the miniature girl sweetly once more. Domo snapped her head from the bedroom window over at the small child. "Kiku! Is she okay?!" she exclaimed. Sakura threw down her history homework she had assigned and leapt off the bed towards Kiku, "She's not hurt is she?!" Kiku shook her head and smiled, "Nuh uh. She's okay!" Her eyes twinkled brightly, "Oh, oh! An' there's a man downstairs with her! He has blue, _blue_ eyes and red hair like 'Ri-san's!" Nasake looked down at the small child strangely,

"He has blue eyes and red hair?" she asked again to make sure. Kiku nodded,

"Uh huh! He look's like a prince! Come! Come see!!" she exclaimed. Nasake smiled,

"Wait Kiku. Is his hair really long? Like your grandfather's?" Kiku nodded. Domo gave Nasake a look, "Hey 'Sake... Why all the questions? Who cares what he looks like?" Sakura frowned,

"Hey, maybe 'Sake's on to something. Nasake you sound like you know this guy." Nasake began to walk towards the door; she stopped and turned around, "... If I'm right, then that man downstairs is one of the ronins Masaki-san told us about," she replied. She reached deep inside her jean pocket and pulled out a shiny midnight blue, sapphire shard. Its many rough lines and miniature ancient carvings caught the room's light, making the symbols shine a sparkling blue onto her face, gleaming with power. Sakura pulled out a similar one; hers was a lighter shade of blue. "I wonder if Masaki-san's told Tori about the Ancient's Legend and us yet," she thought aloud. Domo shrugged and began toward the door, "Well, let's find out." Kiku looked up at her sister's best friends and pouted a bit, "Can Kiku see the man, _now_?" she asked softly. Megami touched Kiku's hair gently and kneeled down to the toddler's level. "Kiku, you must learn to be patient. Virtue is it's own reward, you know."

"Meg', don't tell her that! She has no idea what that is!" Domo laughed.

"Huh? What? What's virtue? Can I eat it?" Kiku asked.

"... No, let's go." Kiku stood in the doorway watching the girls head downstairs,

"But what's virtue?!"

*****

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?! Are you some kind of deranged nut or something?!" Tori wrung out her school skirt and blouse. "You could have killed me!"

"I'm sorry! What do I have to do in order for you to make you understand?" Anubis asked in a way just shy of a lost temper. He shook his hair out and ran a hand through it. Tori made a face, "Eww! Don't do that! What are you some kind of dog?! You got it all over the new rug!" she squeaked and wiped off the excess water she had newly acquired. Anubis frowned,

"I don't understand _why_ you are so upset. You were lying on the wet pavement, unconscious-"

"No thanks to you..." Tori muttered under her breath. Anubis continued, ignoring her comment, "Well, what was I supposed to do? Just leaving you out in _that_?!" He pointed to one of the windows; the rain began to pelt the house harder. Tori glared at him, "I wouldn't have been unconscious if some _idiot_ hadn't tried to run me down!"

"I did nothing of the sort, and _you_ were the one walking in the _middle_ of the street, in a thunderstorm, might I add. It wasn't my fault that a tree nearly crushed me!" Anubis defended. Tori fumed, "... I was _fine_ until _you_ showed up! By the way, what the _hell_ were you doing speeding through a school zone?! I should sue!" Anubis rolled his blue eyes and bent down close into her face, "What the hell were _you_ doing in the middle of a thunderstorm, Little One? I hope not admiring the scenery," he smirked. Tori flushed and clenched her fists at her sides,

"I... I... That's none of your business, you jerk! And the name's Tori!"

"Ooh, very smooth... I felt that _burn_ in the pit of my being," he sighed folding his arms. "I think I'll go crawl into a corner and cry now..."

Tori opened her mouth to utter some _very _unlady-like phrases at Anubis, when her friends came down the stairs; her little sister trailing behind. "Tori! You are _soo_ late!" Megami scolded playfully. Sakura chimed in, "Yeah, if we had known you'd have your hands tied with this stud here, we wouldn't have waited!"

"Heey Tori! Aren'tcha gonna introduce your honey to us?" Megami giggled, "He's _cute_!!" she gestured at the blushing ronin; Anubis had suddenly found the painting hanging on the wall beside him to be extremely interesting. "Hey! He's _not_ my 'honey' for one thing! He's a maniac who almost cut my visionary life just short of his time!" Anubis snorted and gave her a cool glance, "If you have talent and vision, then I'm the Easter Bunny," he mumbled. Tori whirled around, a look of anger flaring in her bronze eyes. "I _have_ talent and vision!... I just don't give a damn..."

"Why does that not surprise me?" he sighed. Tori's face turned quite a charming color of pink. Anubis turned to Domo and asked in a whisper, "Is she _always_ like this?"

"NO!!" Tori roared.

"Yes..." everyone else answered with a smirk. Tori snarled,

"Some friends _you_ all turned out to be! I've had enough of this bullshi-"

"Tori? Did you have a bad day?" asked a voice from the adjacent room. Through the opened entryway, a tall, long, snow-white haired man, looking in his early twenties, stood with a smile on his face. Tori froze and shrunk back, "Y-yes, 'Jiisan," she mumbled, looking down at her soggy shoes. "Granpaa!" Kiku jumped out from behind the banister railing and into her grandfather's arms. "Oh! Hello my Little Flower! And how are you today?" he asked cheerfully.

"Kiku is fine... Granpa?... Who is that man?" she asked in a whisper. He looked over at Anubis and smiled, "Why don't you ask him?" he whispered back. Setting Kiku down at his feet, she shied behind his leg. Anubis, seeing how adorable this child was, kneeled down in front of her and smiled, "And who might you be, little one?" He lowered his voice into a sweet whisper that made Kiku smile. Tori rolled her eyes, "Oh, give me a flipping break..." she muttered under her breath and flounced off toward the stairs.

"Tori?" Her grandfather's voice was tinged with warning and she stopped half way up, not turning to look back at him, "Yes, 'Jiisan?"

"I would like to have a word with you later."

"... Yes sir." And she disappeared up the stairs.

Anubis stared up after her and frowned slightly. _What a witch... 'Glad she's not _my _grandchild, _he thought with a laugh. He felt a slight tug at his blazer and looked down. The child, Kiku peered intently up at him. "I Kiku." Anubis smiled in response. She continued to stare at him, "... What is it, Kiku?"

"... You... You look like the prince from the book 'Ri-san reads to me," she replied. Anubis looked up at her grandfather and laughed, "Quite a darling you have Kaos!"

"Yes. I'm surprised. She usually is not good with people..." Kaos touched Kiku's long hair and noticed the four girls standing by silently. "Anubis... I would like you to meet-"

"Ah! So you four hold the Runes!" he smiled, seeming to be relieved. "We have them and not a moment too soon!" Kaos looked at Anubis in puzzlement,

"How did you figure that? I had not said a word of it to you before."

"... I realized it on the way after I... rescued your granddaughter. I recalled you murmuring something before you left suddenly three years ago. Sensing dark power over the city triggered my memory." Kaos nodded his head and turned back to the girls,

"Well, I won't have to remind you then, Anubis... Ladies, this is Anubis, the Ronin Warrior of Loyalty." Megami flushed when he bowed,

"Wow... he's so formal!" she whispered into Sakura's ear. Domo overheard her and folded her arms, cocking a superior smile, "You don't see _that_ anymore. It's good to know that there are _some_ decent males left on the planet." Anubis flushed heavily. It had been a while since he had time for women, "I try." Megami giggled,

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Anubis, but we'd better get back to Tori and keep her company. She might get mad that we're down here making friends with you." Sakura sighed,

"Yeah, we're sorry about her behavior; she's usually not like that-"

"Must've failed a test or gotten yelled at for her grades," Domo snorted. Nasake elbowed her gently, "Ow!"

"Be _nice_!" she snapped in a harsh whisper. Sakura glared at them,

"Anyway, well see you later," she finished, picking Kiku up. Anubis looked up the stairs, "Please tell your friend... Tori, was it?... That I apologize for earlier. I was only doing what I thought would be best," Anubis said. Sakura smiled,

"Oh, don't mind her. Most of the time she's nice to be around, but I'll tell her. We all gotta be friends if we're gonna win."

*****

Kento of Hardrock smacked his head against the window trying to keep his balance from tripping over the vacuum cord while cleaning. "Ow, dammit!!"

"Hardrock! Don't do that; I _just_ washed it!!" Sekhmet yelled from the other side of the room. Kento rubbed his forehead and glared at the green haired ronin, "Gee Sekh, I feel _so _relieved that you care _more_ about the damn window than my head!" Sekhmet set the bottle of window cleaner onto the table beside him and looked at Kento calmly before asking, "Have you recently acquired an hourglass figure, a melodious voice, and a burning desire to bear a snake demon's child?"

Dais, who was also in the room, bit his lip to hide his amusement, "How he'd manage _that_ I do not want to know!" Kento frowned,

"No, Sekh, I haven't... " Sekhmet laughed,

"Then why would I care about your head more than the window I worked so diligently to wash?" he asked lightly and went back to washing the other windows. Kento rolled his eyes,

"... You are one _seriously _fucked up guy." He flipped on the vacuum and went back to cleaning.

Mia walked into the laundry room with an arms load of dirty clothes from Yuli, Kento, and Ryo's rooms. Laying them into a heap in front of the washing machine, she sighed heavily, "... You'd think that they'd notice the smell after a few weeks!" _Better do a double wash... _she thought.

"Lady Mia?" Dais poked his head into the laundry room, scaring Mia half to death.

"God! Dais, don't do that!" she gasped placing her hand on her chest. Dais smiled slyly,

"Sorry. Force of habit. Have you seen Cale?" Mia dumped the measured amount of detergent into the washer, "No, Dais, I haven't... Where was the last place you saw him?"

"He was in the upstairs bathroom. Said something about cleaning the evil army of germs that Ryo told him about..." Mia raised her eyebrow,

_Ryo... You and your stories._ She then froze and shut the lid to the washer slowly, "Dais? You _did_ remember to tell him to keep the doors and windows open, didn't you?" Dais shook his head, "No. Why, was I supposed to?" Mia brushed past him in a hurry, "Lady Mia? Where are you going?" He followed her through the house to the upstairs bathroom. The door was shut and Mia opened it, "Dammit... First the 'Evil Dust Bunnies From Central Venus' now this..." she muttered. Dais peeked out from behind her and tried not to laugh. He covered his nose with his hand as a powerful wave of fumes swept over him.

The Ronin Warrior of Obedience sat in the tub up to his elbows in soapsuds while in his "I Love NY" boxers. The floor, as well as the bucket on his head, was covered with suds too. The bucket left him blind and the toilet seat he had taken apart looked to be used as a steering wheel of a car. Cale made a noise resembling a car horn, "BEEEEEEP! Vroom! Vroom!" Cale shouted, "Hey! Move outta the way! Lady with a baby! Lady with a baby!! Hey jack ass move your geezer car-"

"Cale... honey. What are you doing?" Mia asked carefully and gently and in a _very _motherly tone. Cale pushed the bucket upward so that he saw Mia. His face lit up, "Lady Mia! HI!" he grinned. 

"Cale, what are you-"

"Oh, Lady Mia! You shouldn't be standing in the car! Put you seat belt on!" Cale said in a quiet voice. He had leaned down close; Mia looked at him, "Why are we whispering?" she said equally soft. "... I don't know... Now, if you'll s'cuse me-" he pulled the bucket back over his face, "_I've_ got a bathroom to save! Look out dirt and mold! Cale the Bathroom Overlord's gonna get you!" He picked up a plunger and began singing, "Grandma got run over by a warlooord-"

Dais bit his lip to hide his mirth and picked up one of the now _empty_ bottles of household cleanser, " 'Use only in well ventilated areas. Avoid prolonged breathing of vapors... This product contains bleach. Do not mix or use this product with other household chemicals. To do so will release hazardous... gases...'" Dais raised an eyebrow and looked around the room and at Cale.

"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, deedily do there they are all standing in row! Bum, bum, bum-"

"Gods! There have to be at least _ten_ empty bottles worth of toxins floating around in here!!" he exclaimed. Mia coaxed Cale out of the bathtub,

"Cale-"

"Bathroom Overlord."

"What?"

"Call me Cale, the Bathroom Overlord!" he corrected again.

"Okay... Bathroom Overlord-"

"Yes, my child?"

"... Umm... I think you won the battle. The dirt's- all gone!"

"It is? _Really_?! Haha! I killed 'em!" Cale leapt out of the tub completely, and out of the bathroom. Dais sighed, "He got them all right... and every last brain cell in that thick head of his." Mia opened a window, "... Let's go find Sage and heal Cale before he decides to-"

"Hey Yuli! 'Wanna put hair on your chest?!"

"Ummm... Mia says that I'm not allowed to drink sake-"

"_Nonsense_!! I've been drinking since I was eight! You're what: seventeen, eighteen?"

"... I'm nine, Cale."

"Really?... Ah. close enough!!"

*****

"Tori come on! Don't be difficult!" Sakura begged.

"_Absolutely not_!!" Tori barked from behind her changing screen. She removed her shirt and launched it over the side almost hitting Sakura in the face with it. "I don't understand _what_ your problem is! The guy saved your life and this is how you treat him! You have no reason to be rude or angry!!" Tori slipped her tank top over her bare skin and frowned at Sakura.

"_Why_ am I angry? _WHY?!_ He didn't save anything! The only thing he did was hit me with his stupid car and have the nerve to poke his nose where it didn't belong! Then, he insults and embarrasses me in my own house! _That's why I'm angry_!!"

"HEY! Quit your bitching, Tori! Anubis doesn't deserve to be treated like dirt after what he did for you! He could have just _left_ you out there and you'd probably be in some kind of serious trouble if it weren't for him! If it were me and I knew that you'd flip out over nothing, I'd have left your ass out there for you to fend for yourself! Now, go downstairs and at least thank the guy for giving you a ride home!"

"... And if I don't?" Tori frowned and crossed her arms. Domo opened the bedroom door and waited for her to walk through, "I'll pull you down by your hair and in your underwear... MOVE."

"All right, all right! Don't get your panties in a knot!"

*****

"Kaos, when do you plan on leaving for Lady Mia's? The ronins have been cleaning like crazy after hearing that _pretty_ women would be staying for a while!" Anubis laughed. The Ancient rolled his eyes and laughed, "... Tomorrow morning is when we all were planning to go. I had a hard time convincing the other girls' parents and guardians to let them go. They are _supposed_ to be attending a meditating retreat with me, and that it was going to be an excellent spiritual experience that will rid them of their rebellious nature."

"I never knew you were the kind of person to lie, Kaos!" Anubis laughed.

"'Jiisan?"

Tori stood in the doorway shyly. Kaos smiled and beckoned her inside the living room. "There you are. I was wondering what had happened to you. You seemed upset after earlier." Kaos said as she sat down next to him. Tori nodded slowly and looked over at Anubis. He stared at her with an intense look in his eyes that almost frightened her. "I-I'm fine. I was a little tired today," she replied softy. 

"Tori... I want to give you something." Kaos reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a chinese red, ruby shard. He handed it to Tori, "It's an old family heirloom that I want you to have."

"... Really? How old?"

"... A... few hundred years old, "Kaos replied after a hesitant pause. Tori's eyes went wide as she saw the shard glow. "WHOA! D-did you see that?!" she yelped almost dropping it.

"See what?"

"I-it glowed just now!" Tori exclaimed looking at the shard intently. Kaos gave Anubis a cool smirk, "Did it?"

"YES!"

"Tori... Why don't you head off to bed now? We're leaving for Toyama tomorrow," Kaos said. Tori smiled, "We are!? Oh! I have been waiting for this forever! Good night!" Tori then kissed her grandfather on the cheek and headed for the door. "Tori?" Kaos began.

"Yes sir?" Kaos looked over at Anubis who had stood politely as she went to leave the room. Tori flushed, "Oh... umm... Good night, Anubis.... Thanks," she whispered and bolted from the room as quickly as possible. 

Anubis stood for a moment and then sat down, "... I think I make her uneasy."

"She'll get used to it. She hasn't been around a man of _your _stature before and she's not very talkative when she's around people she doesn't know very well."

"Why is that?"

"... Not having her mother and father around to watch her has something to do with it, but I cannot say anything further. It will make training more difficult."


	3. Mapless Journey

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Three: Map-less Journey

Tori grumbled to herself as she watched Anubis put everyone's suitcases in the trunk of her grandfather's car. She had been looking forward to this trip for a long while; now she wished she wasn't going. _Great, just wonderful. There goes my vacation... Why does he have to come along? It's not like he lives at the place where we're staying, _she thought.

The storm had finally let up, but the rain clouds still lingered overhead, making the sky appear dull and dreary. "'Ri-san!" Kiku tugged on her sister's shirt, "Granpa says that there's no more room in the van for you an' me... We have to ride with the man with red hair." Tori looked down at her little sister in disbelief, "What?!"

"We have to ride with him," she repeated, and pointed at Anubis. He looked up as he overheard his name. Kiku waved and smiled. Tori gulped as he smiled at her and her little sister. "Kiku? Are you sure that's what 'Jiisan said?" Tori asked.

"Uh huh!" she replied excitedly. "Granpa says that if we're good, that there will be a surprise when we get there!" Tori sighed. She could only imagine the lame story or promise her grandfather had made yet again for her little sister. She picked Kiku up and sighed again, "Come on, Kiku. The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll get our big surprise."

"Yay!"

"Tori? Are you ready to go?" Kaos came outside. In his hand, he had a staff Tori had thought she had never seen before. She raised her eyebrow, "'Jiisan, what is that you're holding? Is it a _magic staff_?" she chuckled. Kaos cleared his throat nervously,

"It is a gift for a friend of mine..." he replied carefully. Kiku struggled in Tori's arms until she put her down. "Granpa? Is that for Kay?"

"Why, yes my little flower!" Tori studied the staff for a moment,

_Odd... I think I've seen that staff somewhere before. Oh, maybe it's one of 'Jiisan's old relics that he collects. He has so many so it must be-_

"Quite an interesting weapon, don't you agree?" Anubis said into her ear. Tori jumped and let out a yelp, "Eek! Wha?... Don't _do _that!" Anubis smirked,

"Forgive me, Little One. I have to break away from that habit..." Tori frowned,

"It's all right... Don't call me that!"

"Kaos? Shouldn't we be heading out?" Anubis asked. Kaos looked at his watch.

"Yes... It's getting late. I want to get ahead of this storm if I can. It will be a mess if we don't hurry... Girls!"

"Yes, Masaki-san?" They simultaneously poked their heads out of the van door and windows. "Are you all ready to go?" he asked.

"YES!" they smiled.

"'Jiisan? Is there really no more room for me in the van?" she asked in a whisper. Kaos turned to her, "... I'm sorry, but you'll have to ride with Anubis."

"But 'Jiisan I don't even know him-"

"Then this will be a lovely opportunity for you to get to know each other better. And after yesterday's incident, I hope that things will go better than before. Do I make myself clear?" Tori looked down at the ground and nodded, "Yes sir..."

"Little One are you ready to leave? Please hurry. We don't have a lot of time and it will be a long trip..." Anubis said. Tori frowned,

"Yes, I'm ready... And don't call me Little One!" she snapped. "Come on, Kiku. Let's get you in your car seat," she said and picked her little sister up. 

She walked over to Anubis' red sports car and stared at it for a moment. "Ooh, it's shiny!" Kiku smiled. Anubis took her from Tori's arms and smiled, 

"I'm glad you think so! Now where do you want to sit? In the back or the front?"

"Umm... back." Tori watched as he strapped Kiku into her car seat.

_Why is he being so nice? Even after what I was to him, he's a perfect gentleman!_

"Now where would you like to sit, Little One?" he asked with a laugh. Tori turned on her heel and stepped into the front seat of the car, "Can we just go, please?"

"... As you wish..." _ This woman is trying my patience..._

_*****_

Talpa sat on his throne and gazed into the vision flame. Images of past events of the Human world appeared within its roaring blaze. _This is too much! _he mused to himself.

"_AHHH!! Cale you numbskull! It says 'DO NOT USE NEAR OPEN FLAME'!! Gods Lady Mia will have our heads if she sees that her favorite linens are scorched!!"_

_"Shut it, Dais! If you hadn't carelessly left the stove on HIGH... Half the kitchen wouldn't be covered in smoke!"_

_"TORRENT!! GET THE HOSE!!"_

Talpa began to chuckle loudly at the scene before him. The vision shifted and another appeared. _"Whoa, Kayura! Have you been working out?"_

_"EEK!! SEKHMET YOU LECHEROUS PIG!! GET OUT OF THE BATHROOM!!"_

_"S-Sorry Lady Kayura!! Ow! Watch where you're aiming!... _

_"GET OUT!!"_

The evil emperor would have had to wipe away his tears of laughter if he had any eyes, he was laughing so hard. "HAHAHAHA!!" _What a _fool_ I was! How could I have appointed _those_ four bumbling idiots as Dark Warlords?!_

"... Master?" A snow-white longhaired warrior, arrayed in a dark red ceremonial robe, kneeled before the giant throne with his right fist clasped over his heart. He looked up at his emperor with a worried look. It was not normal for the ruler of the Nether Realm to suddenly explode with amusement. "Master?" he called again. 

"Y-yes, Fou-Lu... What is it?"

"... Sire... What may I ask was so... amusing?" Talpa beckoned him forward toward the pedestal of dark fire. "Have a look for yourself..." Fou-Lu peered into the flame with curiosity. Inside he saw a young woman and a man with red hair talking, bickering to be exact. The man looked like he was about to lose his temper and throttle the younger girl. Fou-Lu smirked at this interesting scene that played out before him.

"_Will you please stop and ask someone for directions? Why is it that all men have the know-how to find there way to the nearest strip joint, but can't even remember where his own house is?!"_

_"Hey! I am not that kind of person at all! And we are not lost for the hundredth time! I am just taking a short cut! Now calm down!"_

"... Ah... Is this the infamous, former Warlord of Cruelty thou speak with much regret?" Talpa rested his masked chin on his hand, "Aye... What a waste he was. Him and those three other worthless excuses for warlords. Lady Kayura was the only one who could _actually_ do something right!.." Fou-Lu peered once again into the flame of darkness and smiled, 

"And... what of _this _frail being?" he asked softly, never taking his eyes from her.

"... One of the warriors that that damned monk has found to fight against me. It seems that he knows of my plan to be reborn into the Human world as the 'Beginning of the End'... Let him try to stop me!" Talpa cackled. Fou-Lu smiled and looked back over at the other three Dark Warlords. His eyes fell on the feral demon, Raiko. "... Raiko..." he called. 

The warrior dressed in dark green robes, cocking a superior smile upon his handsome face, stood, and stepped towards the pedestal. "Yes, milord?" he asked. 

"What dost thou make of this fair... little bird?" Fou-Lu asked with a grin. Raiko looked into the flame and smiled; his tail lashed about excitedly, "... Hmm... It's been centuries since I've... Mmm... had a human woman... Is she-"

"Like a new borne babe.." Fou-Lu grinned. He then froze as he got a better look at the man beside her. He then grinned evilly at his sudden epiphany, "... Master Talpa?"

"Yes Fou-Lu?"

"Thou means to win this war by any means necessary?"

"Aye... What do you have in mind, Fou-Lu?"

"... Thou shall see in due course, Sire... May I hath permission to take leave on a mission?" Talpa leaned back in his throne and sighed.

"... If it shall benefit your 'idea'... then do as you wish. Take Raiko with you... I shall hear from you anon."

"Ye shall have it..."

*****

"Are you sure you are reading that map correctly?" Anubis asked, glancing over at Tori. He was trying so hard not to lose his patience with her. Tori frowned, "Of course I am! It says so right here that Toyama is supposed to be about forty kilometers from where we are".

"... You said that twenty minutes ago," Anubis said with a clenched jaw.

"I did not," Tori said flatly.

"Look at the top of the map where the numbers are". 

"There aren't any numbers there are letters". Anubis gripped the steering wheel and growled, "... Forget the map. I've got a better idea". He then turned the car sharply to the right across the median of the rural highway. Tori scrambled to put her seat belt on, "Wh-what the hell are you doing?! You'll get us killed, you maniac!!"

"Shortcut. Now shut it," he snapped in a calm voice. Tori raised her eyebrows and looked out her window, keeping silent. She saw an endless forest along the old, quiet highway and sighed. _A fine trip this turned out to be... I wonder when we'll get there, _if_ we get there alive,_ she thought. She turned in her seat and looked back at her little sibling. Kiku had fallen fast asleep a few hours back; Tori yawned. _You know, a nap may not be a bad idea._ She then fell back against the seat and shut her eyes.

A number of minutes passed before Anubis noticed that Tori had fallen asleep. He looked over at her, "Tori?... Heh, sleeping soundly," he chuckled under his breath. _Maybe now there will be some peace and quiet. Now might be a great time to use that 'shortcut' Kayura taught-_

"... -top. Stop... No..."

"Hm?" Anubis looked back over at Tori. She had begun to murmur in her sleep.

"Help... Don't! Bastard!" Anubis swallowed hard as her cries intensified. He slowed the car and pulled over to the side of the road. "Tori? Tori! Wake up!" he said, shaking her gently. She awoke with a scream, "NO!" 

"Little One, are you all right? You're face is as white as a sheet!" He touched her arms; they felt suddenly cold, and she was trembling. She jerked away from Anubis, looking at him as if she did not recognize him. She pulled her arms up to her chest, and stared intently at him in a dreadful silence; it was like she had fallen under a spell. Anubis pulled back slowly, gazing at her for the longest time, wondering what was going on inside of her that made her cower back the way she did. "... Tori?" he began after a long while. "Are you feeling all right?"

As soon as her name left his lips, she broke from her trance-like state, "... Wh... what happened?" she asked softly. _Oh no... I had that dream again..._

"You fell asleep and then you had a nightmare... Are you all right?" he asked again. Tori slipped her jacket around her and looked straight ahead. "I'm fine..."

"Are you sure? We can stop and rest for a while..." Tori shook her head,

"No. Let's go. It's getting l-" Suddenly, something large and metallic slammed into the side of the car, causing it to fly towards the trees. The car flipped twice and the top of it partly caved in when it smashed against a large tree. Anubis' head slammed against the car window, shattering it as the car rolled along the ground. Tori felt the back of her head connect with the window, then her seat jerked forward, smashing her forehead against the dashboard when the car landed up against a large tree. "Aw _darn _it! _Darn it_!" she hissed, clutching her forehead. She looked around the inside of the car. Almost nothing remained undamaged; the windshield was shattered as well as the windows and doors. Immediately, she looked behind her seat at Kiku. "KIKU! Are you all right?!" Her little sister sat in her car seat, which was still fully intact, perfectly unharmed; a grin was played upon her face as if nothing happened. "That was fun!!" she chimed. Tori heaved a sigh of relief and looked at Anubis. His head was leaning against the steering wheel with his arms and hands on it. Tori shook him gently, "Anubis... Hey can you hear me?"

Slowly, the Ronin of Loyalty stirred with a groan. "Mmm... Dammit... Wh-what happened?" He lifted his head and touched his forehead, feeling a warm, sticky fluid trickle down his face. "... Lovely. Blood," he mumbled as he looked at the crimson fluid on his fingertips. Tori unbuckled her seat belt and moved closer to him. "No, don't touch it! Let me see..." He flinched when she brushed the hair out of the way, groaning a bit. "... Just a small cut. You could have a concussion, though," she said.

"Is the child all right?"

"She's fine..." Anubis looked his car over,

"... Shit... Lady Mia will be furious. I haven't even had this for a year yet, and _this_ happens!..."

"... Well, now what?" Anubis made an attempt to unbuckle his seat belt. It was jammed; he frowned, and grabbed the belt in one hand. With a snarl, he ripped it apart with ease. Tori's eyes went wide, "How the hell..."

"I'll explain later. Now, we have to get out of here, _immediately_," he advised as he forced open the door with his shoulder. Tori frowned, "How? Do we walk?"

"No... I have a much better idea. Get your sis-'

"Going so soon, Loyalty? Come! Stay for a while!" 

Tori let out a short shriek as she saw a lion-like man sink his claws into Anubis' shoulder, and throw him from the car and onto the pavement. Kiku began to wail loudly. Tori felt a sudden surge of anger, and turned to her sister. Hearing her sister's cries, and the expression of terror upon her face, she knew that she could do nothing for her. With much regret, she ducked through the shattered windshield and onto the hood of the car. There she saw Anubis still on the pavement, struggling to stand. The lion-man was nowhere to be seen. "Anubis?! Are you all right?!"

"... I'm... fine." He swayed on his feet for a moment and lifted his head. His shirt hung in shreds where he had been struck, blood trickling heavily from the openings. Tori looked around for the strange, animal-like man before moving to help Anubis. "What was tha- Oh god! Your shoulder!"

"It's... nothing." He smiled weakly at her. Tori gasped when she looked at his forehead. The kanji for loyalty flashed wildly from beneath his red bangs.

"Your... your forehead!!" Anubis shut his eyes for a moment before being engulfed by a golden light. What was left of his clothing, was torn away by tendrils of golden light, revealing his hard, bare body for a brief second. As the light intensified, smooth, dark-blue, metallic metal slid over his muscular body. Tori stood wide-eyed for a moment as the light subsided, staring at Anubis' new form. "What on Earth?"


	4. The Angel From Below

Okay ya know what? I don't really care if the ages in this chapter or any other chapters are wrong. But it would be nice if someone would be so kind as to inform me of their exact ages (when people received immortality or not...) b/c there are soooo many different variations... Thank you!

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Four: The Angel From Below

*Warning: Lemony situations; be advised*

"Ohhhh... My aching head. Feels like Hardrock slammed it into a stone wall... Gods!" Cale draped his head backwards over the arm of the sofa, rubbing his temples. Mia leaned over him and placed a bag of ice on his forehead. "I'm sorry, Cale, but this is all I've got for your head. All the guys used up the last of the painkillers after that training session you and Anubis lead." 

"... Nooo... Ohhh, where's Halo?" Mia rubbed his temples as she kneeled down onto the floor. "He's outside with the others cleaning up the porch and yard. It's amazing. Whenever I ask the guys to pick up their mess, they ignore me, but whenever someone mentions the phrase 'We're having girls for guests', they suddenly have the motivation to clean up."

"Teenage hormones... Oh, I miss those days..." Cale murmured. "The day I turned twenty was the day I received immortality. Talpa had a thing for birthdays. Now that I think about it, he wasn't all that smart..." Mia stopped and removed her hands from his forehead.

"You're twenty? Really?"

"You find that hard to believe?" Mia flushed,

"N-no! You and the others appear so much older! I thought you were at least twenty-eight or so!"

"Heh... Time and war will change a person."

"How old are the others?"

"Dais is about a year older than myself, Sekhmet and Anubis are about seventeen or eighteen... I could be wrong about that, though. I _do_ know that Anubis is the youngest out of us four."

"Which explains why he's so pig-headed and arrogant all the time," Mia grumbled.

"Haha... You judge people so harshly, Lady Mia. He's not all the time. He's only like that because he can kick anybody's ass in this house," Cale said with a laugh. He hissed as his head began to throb. Mia stood, "Cale, why don't you go lie down? It will be a while before dinner. Sai insists that the girls eat with them." Cale stood and swayed on his feet for a moment.

"Good idea, thank you." He watched Mia leave the room; she smiled at him sweetly before she disappeared down the hallway, saying, "Oh and Cale?"

"Aye?"

"Next time you volunteer to clean the bathroom, open the doors and windows, okay? Then you won't have such a headache..." Cale flushed and laughed nervously,

"Heh, o-of course..." Mia's smile widened and she left. Cale heaved a deep sigh, heading into the hallway and up the stairs. _Gods! I hate it when she does that! But she's soo gorgeous!_

*****

Tori gulped and just stared at Anubis. The Ronin of Loyalty opened his eyes again and looked over at her. "... Wh-what _are _you??" she asked, almost not believing what she had just witnessed. Anubis clutched his bleeding shoulder, "I am what you call a 'Ronin-"

"'Ronin Warrior'?? Y-you guys really do exist?! I thought 'Jiisan told me all that crap just to make me fall asleep!" Anubis nodded with a strained laugh,

"Aye... But now's not the time for stories. We have to get you and your little sister to safety. That creature is still lurking around here, and I don't think I can protect you with this wound..." He stumbled a bit with a groan._ Ugh... Damned beast hit me harder than I thought.... My vision is fading..._ Anubis shook his head in an attempt to regain his vision.

"Anubis! Are you sure you're okay?!" Tori asked helping him to his feet. Anubis nodded and smiled weakly, "... Aye." His breathing became heavy and his face had a fine sheen of perspiration upon it. He moaned and felt a sharp pain in his chest. _What's... wrong with... me? It hurts to... breathe._

"Anubis, what's wrong?!" Tori steadied him, holding his shoulders so he wouldn't fall to the ground. He opened his eyes wide, breathing hard. "... Can't breathe-"

"It hurts, doesn't it, Loyalty?" asked a voice from above. Tori looked up. It was the demon from before. He stood upon a tree branch with a fiendish grin, bearing pearly white, razor-sharp fangs. He began to chuckle when Anubis reached for his kusari-gama. A beam of green electrical light shot out of the feline's claw, knocking the weapon out of his armored hand. Anubis snarled in pain, yanking his hand to him as the demon laughed evilly,. "No, no! Don't even think about it, Ronin. You are far too weak..." 

"Who... Who a-are you?" Anubis demanded. The beast leapt from the branch and landed behind Tori. She yelped when he ran his tail along the inside of her leg; she whirled around to backhand him, but he caught her hand and yanked her to him with hardly any effort. "Let go!!" She thrashed about, but the super strength of the beast man was too much. He easily bound her arms at her sides. "... Aren't you the fiery one?" he chuckled in a deep, silky voice.

"Let her... go! ... It's me you... want!" Anubis choked out as he stumbled again. Raiko glanced over at Anubis, slowly running his eyes over his firm, rock, hard body. "Hmm... You _are_ too tempting to resist," he began, looking down at Tori's frightened eyes, "but I haven't had a virgin in _centuries_... I've been longing to hear the cry of pain and pleasure when you, heh... you _know_," he chuckled. "Perhaps I shall have time for you later..."

"Noo! Let go!" Raiko back handed her hard. Anubis, snarling dangerously, lunged at her captor, "Bastard!" The demon man shot a blast of green energy into Anubis, knocking him onto his back. The Ronin of Loyalty convulsed on the ground, screaming in pain, then fainted. "No! Anubis!!" Tori turned back to the man, "Who the _hell_ are you?!" Raiko pulled her close. Tori took note of his fangs glistening in the sunlight and felt a shiver run down her spine. "I am Raiko, the bringer of Chaos. A Dark Warlord of the Dynasty... Who, may I ask, are... you?" Raiko whispered. Tori felt his claws upon her skin when she did not answer. Her eyes locked with his deep, blue ones. In that instant, she felt like she was in a dream, unable to move. "Now... my pretty one... Answer me," he ordered.

"... Tori..." she breathed. _... So... sleepy..._

Raiko grinned as he saw her eyes glaze over as she fell under his spell. "Good... Now, my little kitten," he purred, reaching underneath her shirt, "let us finish what we started..." 

"No... I don't... want to..." Raiko lowered his face to hers; Tori let out a gasp as he stroked her nipple. "... Are you sure?" he asked, kissing her neck. Tori shook her head,

"No... A-Anubis help me..." she breathed. Raiko eased her onto the grass, unbuttoning her shirt. "Shh..." he breathed, lowering himself upon her. Sliding her shirt from her shoulders, Tori let out a soft cry as his mouth enfolded her breast. She did it again as he used his warm tongue upon her. Raiko grinned upon hearing her soft cries of pleasure, and felt himself harden. "... You like that?" Tori's eyes fluttered shut, 

"Y-yes..." She reached up and twisted her fingers in his long hair.

"... Excellent," he whispered and claimed her soft, quivering mouth with his devouring lips. Tori whimpered as she felt his tongue flutter against hers. Her mind was engulfed with sensations that made her senses scream with ecstasy. She began to lose sight of what was happening to her, her body, however succumbing to Raiko's erotic caress.

"Stop!" 

Raiko jerked his head up at his intruder, frowning slightly. "Oh... Not _you_." There, above upon one of the tree branches, stood a man clad in dark, red metal raiments with a jet-black cloak draped over him. A parody to his dark cloak, his hair was a snowy white that reached to his waist. The man's blue eyes narrowed at the atrocious scene before him. "Let the woman be..." he ordered. He then jumped down next to the fallen Ronin. Kneeling down, he felt his forehead. Then, closing his eyes, a white light emitted from underneath his palm. Raiko stood up quickly. "Are you bloody daft?!"

The man stood and sent a white blast of energy into him. Raiko was sent flying into the trees, severing several trunks before he landed. The man snorted as Raiko swayed to his feet, "Thou hast had thine fill of enjoyment, return to the master!" Raiko saw the danger in his blue eyes and obeyed. "... Yes Mi'lord." Raiko then vanished in a burst of green flames. The man looked down at Tori's exposed form, still under the warlord's spell. He knelt down next to her and touched her cheek gently. "Awaken..." he ordered in a spellbinding voice, and sat her up. The lost look in her eyes faded as she awoke with a gasp. _What happened?!... Anubis? Raiko! _She saw the man beside her and screamed. She etched away, covering her breasts with her hands, "Please... Don't-" she began, tears falling from her eyes.

"I shall not harm thee..." he said gently. Tori stood and backed away when he moved toward her. "Don't!" The man picked up her shirt and held it out to her in his hand, waiting for her to take it. "... I believe this is yours." Tori did not move. The man smiled at her gently, "If I were to take advantage of thee, I would have all ready done so..." Tori took her shirt, and the man turned around. "D-did you save me?" she asked, hastily putting her shirt back on, forgetting to button it in the process. The man nodded. "Aye, that I did... I stopped Raiko before he did anything. He should know better, defiling orders from his lord. Talpa would kill him for endangering the mission." He turned around. Tori had knelt next to Anubis and propped his head in her lap. _Who is Talpa?_

_Thou ought to know, thou are the Ancient's granddaughter, are ye not?_ Tori's eyes went wide. Did he just read her mind? No, impossible; she was hearing things. She looked down at Anubis and brushed the hair from his eyes, "Who are you?"

"... I am Fou-Lu... That is all thou ever need knowing."

*****

"Sai? Hand me the broom, would you?" Sage asked while looking under a wicker chair. Sai looked up from his sweeping. "Why? I thought you all ready got underneath all the furniture."

"Just gimme the broom!" Sai rolled his eyes and gave the broom to Sage. 

"What in Heaven's name are you doing?" Sai asked as Sage frantically shoved the end of the broom under the chair. Kento walked onto the porch with a box of random sport equipment. "Hey guys... Sage?... What the hell are you doing?" he asked, setting the box down. Whatever Sage was doing, something came flying out from beneath the chair and hit Sai's feet. 

"AHHHH! RAT!!" Sage blindly swung out at it. Kento had grabbed an armful of nerf balls and began to throw them left and right. Sai stomped it like crazy.

"Goodness, what on Earth is all that noise?!" Mia demanded, rushing into the porch from the living room. She found the three Ronins huddled up against the wall, staring warily at a pile of sport equipment. Sage held the broom defensively against him. "M-Mia!"

"Look out! It's got three heads!" Kento yelped and chucked another football at it, "Take that, you goddamn freak of nature!"

"It went for my neck!" Sai yelped. Mia rolled her eyes,

"_What_ did?"

"The rat!" they all squeaked in unison. Mia sighed heavily and dug into the pile.

"Don't do it!"

"Watch out for its laser vision!" Kento yelped. Mia began to chuckle as she pulled the 'rat' from the pile. "Is this your 'rat with three heads'?" She held up to what appeared to be a dirty sock. Sage and Sai frowned, "KENTO!"

"What? It's not _my_ sock!"

"Then who else could it belong to?" Sai asked.

"And how long has it been there?" Sage inquired. Mia threw the sock at Sai. 

"Whose ever it is, take care of it because Kaos is here."

"W-WHAT?!"

*****

"... Wh-what do you want?" Tori asked looking down at the now sleeping Ronin in her lap. Fou-Lu chuckled, "Nothing that cannot wait-"

"Mnn..." Fou-Lu stood up quickly as Anubis slowly awoke. "Wh... What?... Tori!" He sat up with a jolt, his kusari-gama flying into his outstretched hand. He saw Fou-Lu. "Who are you?" he demanded, shielding Tori with his arm. The snow-white haired warrior smiled,

"Thou hast recovered quicker than I thought..." Anubis snarled.

"Who are you!?" 

"I am Fou-Lu..." he answered calmly. Anubis frowned,

_That name... _"Tori, this man is no ally of ours." Tori grasped Anubis' fist as he moved his weapon ready to strike. "Wait! He's"

"Tori... Trust me. This is no man. He is evil... Just like all the others..." Fou-Lu shook his head and jumped upon the hood of the car. "Call me what thou wish, Loyalty... To thee I may be evil... However, I shalt not harm your precious little bird... Choose how thou shall think of me, Tori, but remember that I shall never cause thee harm." And with that, he vanished in a burst of black flames. 

Anubis paused for a second, then dropped his weapon, breathing hard. _Gods, that was close. I didn't expect them to retaliate so quickly... _He felt Tori fall against him; she began to shake, soft, almost completely silent cries escaping her throat. He winced as he turned to her and said nothing. Slowly he placed an armored hand upon her hair, almost instantly she quieted. After a while, he spoke. "Are you all right?" he asked softly. Tori lifted her head and pulled away, nodding wordlessly. Anubis raised his hand to her neck slowly. Tori flinched. _... What?_ "Tori, I'm not going to hurt you..." She flushed lightly as he touched her cheeks and neck. He smiled, "Good... You weren't injured."

"'RIII-SAAN!!" Tori looked up at the totaled car and ran toward it. Peeking inside the car she saw Kiku batting at a small green looking snake with a stick that she had pulled from a branch. "Make it go away!" Anubis limped over to the car and smirked. He picked up the small snake, staring at it with one eyebrow raised. "Some help _you_ are! You _enjoyed_ watching the hell being beaten out of me, didn't you?!" he snapped. Tori touched Anubis' shoulder. 

"Umm... Red? That's a snake. I think you hit your head too hard."

"I'm perfectly fine! Watch..." He set the snake down on the ground. Instantly, it began to glow with a dark, deep viridian light. Tori stood, dumbfounded. _What the hell-_

"Idiot... The only time I enjoy seeing you getting the hell beaten out of you is when I'm doing the beating," said the snake. In a flash, a man with dark green hair and dark eyes stood in green and red armor. Sekhmet. "Honestly Anubis, you are so hard on yourself sometimes!"

"NO WAY! He... Are... Are you _human_?!" Tori squeaked.

"Now, is that nice?" Sekhmet asked with a sigh.

"Sekhmet... this is one of the girls Kaos told everyone about." Sekhmet raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Oh... Really? I never would have guessed. At first glance, I thought she was someone you... _picked up_ along the way..." He gestured at Tori and her open shirt. She squeaked and hastily buttoned it. _Pervert,_ she thought with a frown.__

"I'm not like that and you know it!!" Anubis defended. Sekhmet shook his head and looked the car over, "Gods! What the hell did you do? If they let people like you behind the wheel, getting _my_ license doesn't seem so bad!" he laughed. Tori bit her lip to hide her amusement. Anubis frowned, "You know _damn_ well what happened. You just sat there and flickered that ugly tongue of yours while you watched me get my ass kicked..."

"No, I don't know what happened. I just got here a few moments ago! Now, I'm sorry I did, missed a hell of a show!" He stopped laughing as she saw the ashamed look on Tori's face and Anubis' infamous glare. "Sorry... Come on. Let us get these two to Lady Mia's."

"How?" Tori asked and lifted Kiku out of her partially mangled car seat. Sekhmet raised his hand. The patch of wild thorns began to ripple, like if the brush before them lay underneath a still lake and a stone had been tossed into it. Sekhmet murmured a language that was not of this realm and in a flash of green light, a portal opened before them. Tori felt her jaw drop and close several times. Kiku grinned, "Woow! He made a hole in the air!!"

"Come, night will be upon us shortly..." Sekhmet said.

"But it's only three in the afternoon!" Anubis eased Tori toward the gate. There was a sorrowful look on his face. "Aye... but where we are going, time has no meaning."

"... Yer kidding me."

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I wonder if I'll get flamed for this chapter...


	5. It's Been A While

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Five: It's Been Awhile

Kaos yawned as he pulled up in front of their destination. Pulling the van to a stop and cutting the engine, he turned to the four slumbering girls. He sighed heavily and looked into each one of their sleeping, innocent faces as the same feeling of remorse swept over him as it did almost a decade ago. _Forgive me, all of you, for dragging you into this war... but I grieve that no other way remains._ "Girls? Wake up, were here," he announced, shaking each one of them gently. Domo stirred in the passenger's seat beside Kaos. "Huh? Wah?... Mmm, oh we... made it," she yawned and stepped out of the van. "Man, what a trip... I'm never going through that again." Sakura opened the sliding door and hopped out. "Whoo! Finally made it! Ah!... Smell that fresh, woodsy air! Sure beats that city crap we've been breathing, doesn't it?" Domo raised her eyebrow at her nature-loving companion. _Someone had too much sugar on the trip._

"Come on Megami! It's time too unload the van! And get 'Sake up too while you're at it!" Sakura ordered as she looked for the car keys in the front. "Hey... Where did Masaki-san go?" Megami yawned and shrugged her shoulders.

"I dunno..."

"Oh you're a _big_ help!" Megami yawned and relaxed back in her seat.

"I know..." Domo rolled her eyes and pulled her friend out of the van with a hard jerk. Megami came stumbling out and landed on her rear. "OW! What the hell!?"

"Sorry... Sitting on yer ass all day and watching me and Sakura unload the van_ by all myself_ really must exhaust you! Be careful you don't work too hard now, Meg'!" Megami just glared up at her blonde friend.

"Nasake, Nasake! Wake up!" Sakura shook her sleeping friend's shoulder. She received an angry growl from the blue haired girl. Nasake looked like she could sleep through an earthquake. "Hnnn..."

"Don't make me get the cold water now!"

"Hnnn, lemme... lemme 'lone," Nasake moaned and turned away from her. Sakura frowned and reached for her shoulder. She snapped her hand back in a flash when Nasake nearly chomped down on it. "Hey! You almost bit me!"

"Mmhf... Yer quick... go 'way." Sakura's face darkened and with one swift motion, she yanked Nasake out of the van. "Whoa!" She nearly fell on her face. Sakura smirked,

Very quick in fact! Now help me unload the van..."

"Whadya do that for?! I was getting up!"

"No you weren't _Sleeping Beauty_..." Nasake glared up at the ebony haired girl and fumed.

"You rushed me..." she growled and stood up, running a hand through her hair in an agitated manner. Megami stretched, "Oi... How long were we on the road?" Domo stifled a small yawn, "... Twelve hours, I think... With all the stops we had to make it took us three hours longer. I won't say any names.... _Sakura_!"

"Hey, when ya gotta pee, ya gotta pee..."

"Dude..." Megami suddenly gasped. "Now that is a _big_ house!"

The others turned to see what was so amazing. Before them stood a gigantic three-story house. The roof, shutters, and door were painted a sandy, desert red. The house itself was white along with the furniture on the veranda. The veranda was screened in and it surrounded the entire back of the house and partially the front. The second and third stories were hidden among the branches of the ancient oaks surrounding the mansion. It was beautiful compared to the townhouses and apartments in Tokyo.

There jaws promptly hit the ground. 

"Sweet! We're staying here?!" Megami queried excitedly. "Wow, these houses are like the kind you see that celebrities live in!" The smile etched onto her face grew wider the longer she looked upon it. "Yeah..." Sakura and Megami murmured. Domo rolled her eyes, 

"It's just a house..."

"Hello there!" They turned their heads toward the front door and saw five very handsome young men coming toward them. Megami turned to her best friend and grinned, "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?!" she whispered excitedly. Sakura nodded,

"Yep... Stop drooling or I'll put you on a leash..." Megami pouted,

"Boo, yer no fun..."

"Wow, I bet you guys had quite a trip! All the way from Tokyo!" the raven-haired boy said with a smile. Sakura nodded, "Yeah... It was... uhh-"

"Name's Sanada Ryo. The tall one's Sai, Sage is next to him on the left. Rowen was here a second ago and-"

"Yo Ryo! Check out the wheels!" the louder boy with the heavy build had begun to circle the van with anticipation. Ryo laughed, "- that's Kento... He's a little loud, but you learn to tune him out."

"I heard that, man! ... Cool, there's black lights underneath!" he mumbled. Domo smirked,

"This is Tori's van... She won't get a new car for a while..." Sakura smiled,

"Well then, pleased to meet you all. I'm Sakura, that's Megami, the quiet one's Nasake, we call her 'Sake, and over there's Domo."

"Hey..."

"Hi there!"

"H-hi..."

Suddenly a loud vulgarity and a thump emitted from inside the van where Rowen had gone. Kento's eyes widened as the cursing continued. "Geez, Ro! Was that a threat or a promise?!" Kento's comment sent Ryo and Sage into fits of laughter. Rowen poked his head out of the van, an infuriated look upon his slightly reddened face. He shot his friends a dark glare and they immediately shut up, but still had a few tingles of amusement escaping from their closed mouths. Slowly, Rowen pulled himself back into the van, muttering something about how perverse his so-called friends were being. Kento thought he heard him use the word _dendrofiliac_, but shoved the thought aside as just another weird word that Rowen would use.

"So what's Tokyo like?" Sai asked. Sakura pursed her lips in thought,

"Big... Big, loud, crowded, and dangerous." Megami folded her arms behind her head and smiled sweetly. "But we love it anyway!" she sang.

"Sounds a lot like Toyama..." Kento murmured as he leaned on the hood of the van. He turned his head to Ryo, "Yo Ryo. Think we should check out Tokyo after this all blows over?" Ryo shrugged. "Sure, I guess... But there's really nothing there that you haven't all ready seen. I used to live in Tokyo at one time. I think Rowen's been there once too," Ryo replied, joining his friend. "Yeah! It's just like any other city, pretty much, only bigger, more cars, and parking problems! I hate it!" Rowen announced from inside the van. There was another thump and loud vulgarity that rang from the interior of the van, sending everyone into another round of snickers and giggles. "Hey Rowen, are you all right?" Sai asked trying so very hard not to laugh. Rowen poked his head out of the van again and glared at the Ronin of Trust. "Yeah Sai! I just have to get everyone's bags out of the van all by _myself_!" he snapped sarcastically. He ducked back into the van. Sai smirked, "Oh, all right! Great then! We'll just leave you to it, then." He winked at the girls, which resulted in a very girlie giggle form Sakura and Megami. Nasake flushed and Domo shook her head. "HEY! Will you dolts stop _flirting?!?!_ Now get your asses over here, and help me!!!"

"Uhh... Don't mind Rowen. He's a little upset, he didn't get to sleep past noon like he usually does, so he's a little cranky," Sage murmured.

"Sage!" Rowen snapped.

"Ah, put a sock in it. We're helping, sheesh!" Kento retorted. Sage sighed, 

"Kaos told us to tell you to go on ahead inside... Don't worry about your stuff... I'll make sure Kento doesn't snoop through anything..."

"I do _not_!!" Sage rolled his eyes,

"You do too! Kayura caught you in her room the other day looking at, what you call, her 'Exciting Underwear Collection'!" A frown appeared on the Ronin of Justice's blushing face.

"Yeah, what would you call a drawer full of see-through lingerie with the booby tassels and all that stuff?!" he retorted. Sai sighed heavily and hung his head,

"Ohh, can we _please_ talk about Kayura's underwear some other time?"

Domo raised an eyebrow and said nothing as she started over toward the house. Nasake moved to catch up with her, "Hey Domo! Where are you going?"

"Away," she replied not looking back at her friend. Nasake stopped and frowned. _What's _her_ problem?_

" 'Sake, where's Domo heading?" Megami asked as she followed her friend with Sakura behind her. Nasake shrugged, "I dunno. She said 'away' and that was it. I think she went for a walk."

Kento was the first to pile in. "Hey cool, there's a T.V. in here! Oh! Oh! Where's the Magic-Hidden-Cupholder-Thingy?!" he exclaimed as he looked around frantically for it. "OW!... Found it..." He rubbed his shin and flushed as laughter met his ears. 

"Careful now, Kento..." Ryo warned playfully, "Don't wet yourself with excitement, now!" Kento glared at him,

"Hush yer trap, Ryo!.... Hey a nickel! Two of 'em!" Sage hopped in the back where Rowen... should have been. "Rowen? Rowen? Hey guys, do you know where Rowen went?" he asked. Sai looked up, "No... I thought he was back there with you."

"No. He's no-"

"...Smf!! Cntbrfth!!"

"Eek!"

Ryo, Kento, and Sai looked back and gave the Halo bearer a strange look.

Sage flushed.

"Gfthoff!!" Sage looked down and removed a bag from the car floor. The muffled voice was under him. "Rowen?" he began, "Now how did you get down there?"

"Dunno. I was trying to lift a bag when a barrage of luggage buried me... Kento!" Hardrock looked up, "What did I do _now_?!" Rowen pulled himself from the pile of bags and frowned. "Now what's wrong?" Sage asked. Rowen tried pulling a rather heavy duffel bag from the back. He stumbled and fell to the ground, the bag crushing him under its weight. "Girls... have... too... much... stuff!" and shoved the bag off, whimpering slightly. Kento and Sage peered over the seat and down at Rowen. Kento winced, "Ooh... That's gotta hurt...

Ryo sat in the front seat and fell silent, completely blocking out all the commotion behind him. _What's the deal here? Where did the Ancient go for three years and then suddenly comeback with four, no five girls? Is he trying to set us up with them?... Yeah right, that's not it.... What's going on?... Talpa couldn't be so powerful that we need outside help now... Damn..._

"Oh no, Ryo's thinking again!" Kento leapt over the top of the seat and blinded Ryo with something soft. "Hey! What the hell are ya doin'?! Get off me!" Ryo pulled the thing from his eyes and threw it back at Kento before realizing what it was. It fell onto Sai's head. "What the hell..." He pulled it off his head and flushed. "Lord, put that back in whose ever suitcase you got it from right now!" he bellowed at Kento, throwing the piece of lingerie back at him. "Honestly! Have you no _shame_?!" Kento held the undergarment up for Rowen's inspection.

"Hey Ro'! Check out the equipment on this babe!" Rowen shook his head,

"Is that all you ever think about?" Kento looked thoughtful,

"Does mud wrestling count?" he asked innocently. Rowen rolled his eyes,

"Put it away before one of them sees you..." Kento sighed heavily and shoved it back into the bag. "You guys are no fun... We've been here without girls for who knows how long, and now when the _Ancient_ drives up with four babes with all the good stuff, you guys wuss out on me... Is there somethin' you guys aren't telling me?" Sai pulled another bag from the van.

"Kento, just shut up and start helping out..."

"... You haven't gone frilly on me, have you?!" Sage and Rowen chucked a bag at him,

"NO!"

"That's a relief..."

*****

Mia leaned on the kitchen counter and stared down at the cookbook. "... One teaspoon of vanilla..." She looked around for it on the counter and frowned. "Now I know I put it out on the counter... Wait, maybe that was the mint..." Yuli looked up from the task that Mia had him tend to, mixing the cookie batter. "What's wrong, Mia? Did ya loose somethin'?" Mia sighed.

"Yes, Yuli...." She looked into the cupboard. "... I've lost my mind," she muttered under her breath. "What?"

"Nothing, Yuli... Have you seen the vanilla anywhere?" 

"Did you try the cabinet? On the top shelf?" Mia looked up and stood on her tiptoes.

"Yes... I see it... Now who put you way up there?" She groaned when she failed to reach it. "Ouuu... I need to have a talk with Sai!"

Dais and Cale walked into the kitchen arguing. "No you can't borrow it! The last time I let Sekhmet borrow it, it nearly got torched!" Dais snapped. Cale frowned,

"But I'm _not_ Sekhmet!! Come on, Dais... Plleeaasee?"

"Oh stop it! You sound like Kayura!" Mia groaned,

"Will you both shut up!? I have a headache and it's bad enough that there are no more painkillers in the house! I don't need you two taking my brain and pounding it into the wall of my skull with your ridiculous prattle!!" Yuli's eyes widened.

_Gosh... I hope she won't go crazy again, like when the linens got burned...._ Dais sat down at the table beside Yuli. "... Torrent rearrange the kitchen again?" he asked in a whisper. Yuli nodded, "Uh huh..." Cale watched Mia with interest as she attempted to reach for the much needed ingredient once again. "Lady Mia, do you need assistance?"

"... Can you break Sai's little fingers so he can't move everything around where I can't find or reach it?" Cale laughed and pulled the little bottle from the shelf,

"Is this what you needed?" Mia took the bottle and sighed heavily,

"Thank you, Cale." She opened it up and went to measure the needed amount. 

Empty.

"Oh, this just isn't my day, is it?" she threw the bottle into the garbage can with an angry cry. Dais looked up from helping Yuli. "Lady Mia... Why don't you take a break? You have been cooking all morning..." he suggested as he turned her around and untied her apron. He slid it over her head and smiled. Mia sighed, "Yes... that does sound like a good idea... I'll be in the bath tub and I'm not coming out." Cale chuckled as she left the kitchen.

"We'll have Kayura bring you food when you need it!" he called. Cale then looked at the mess in the kitchen. "Looks like we're on our own for dinner..." Dais looked down at the floury apron in his hands. "Cale, do you have any experience in culinary arts?"

"Why?..." he asked carefully upon seeing the innocent look creeping across his face.

*****

Tori was the first to jump out of the portal as it opened in front of Mia's house. "Finally!... That was creepy. I felt like someone was watching us!" She rubbed her arms and shivered. It was cold in that vortex. Kiku ran out ahead of Sekhmet and Anubis, "Cold, cold, cold!" she sang. "'Ri-san, I'm cold!" Tori looked down at the small child.

"We're out of that tunnel now. You'll be all warm in a minute."

"Anubis? Are you sure you're all right? That wound is really deep..." Sekhmet pulled Anubis' good shoulder around his neck to help him walk. "Why, Sekhmet, it sounds like you _almost_ sound worried about me," Anubis mocked. Sekhmet raised his eyebrow,

"Actually, your demise means my head... according to Kayura."

"Is she still threatening everyone?" he asked with an agitated sigh. Sekhmet replied with a nod. "Honestly, I don't know what she sees in you. You're egotistical, stubborn, pig-headed, really there's nothing to like about you at all!" Sekhmet said care freely. Anubis cheeks reddened and frowned. "Uh, you forgot self-centered and rude," Tori added walking along ahead of them. Anubis' face darkened, "Twit..." he muttered under his breath. Sekhmet shook his head, 

"At this rate... You'll never get away from Kayura if you keep that up..." Anubis hung his head and groaned. "Don't remind me..."

*****

"Anubis what happened to your poor arm!!" Kayura exclaimed. She rushed over to him and hovered about him like a vulture to road kill. Anubis grimaced when she pulled off the remains of his shirt. "Oh dear... Sekhmet! I thought you were going to go with him to meet Kaos in Tokyo!" she snapped. Sekhmet leaned against the wall calmly, 

"Oops... Must have slipped my mind..." Kayura growled, but a groan from Anubis diverted the priestess' attention back to the injured Ronin. Anubis had gotten up from the couch and was heading upstairs. "Anubis! Where are you going?!" she demanded and followed him. 

"What was that? His girlfriend?" Tori asked with a stifled laugh. Sekhmet let out a loud chuckle and shook his head. "Heavens no! Anubis can't stand her when she's like that. She's only like that when he gets hurt or goes off alone for a week..." Tori looked up the stairs,

"Sheesh... Hey, umm... What was your name again?"

"Sekhmet."

"Right... Have my friends gotten here yet?" Sekhmet pointed out the window to the front yard. Tori looked out the window and bit her lip to stop from laughing. 

"Kento!! Quit screwing around! That doesn't belong to you!" Sage shouted as he chased the Warrior of Strength around her van. Kento stuck his tongue out at Sage and dodged his tackle; Sage landed face first into the dirt. The other Ronins stood around the van laughing as were the girls. "That was graceful Sage!" Ryo laughed and fell over on the grass. Kento tripped over a bag that was still outside and ended up stumbling into a bush.

Sakura lifted her bag onto her shoulder and another one in her hand. "Come on you guys! We gotta get this stuff in before dark! I don't want to spend all night packing!!" Megami rolled her eyes, "With the amount of useless junk that you brought it'll take you a year to unpack anyway!" 

"Hey guys! How was the trip?" Everyone looked up and saw Tori leap down the steps of the porch. Megami grinned and set her bag down, "How the hell did you get here? Where's the car?" Tori laughed nervously,

"Uhh, we got lost, and uh, we were attacked by this cat-dude, then S-s-s Sekhmet showed up in the form of a snake, and he made a vortex of some kind and... here I am!" 

"You were attacked??" Ryo asked. Tori nodded. His face matched the expression of the other Ronins. "... Guess they know what we're up to now," Sage muttered. Kento pulled a twig out of his hair from when he landed in the bush, "Shit..."

"Kento!" Sai snapped and elbowed his best friend. Rowen crossed his arms,

"My feelings exactly. We're screwed. No more late nights... Ryo? Think Talpa knows about... them?" he gestured to the women standing behind him. Ryo shrugged,

"Got me... Our best bet is to hope that they don't and go about everything as planned. Of course we'll have to keep alert from now on." He turned to the girls and wiped the concern off his face. "Uhh... You ladies go make yourselves at home. You'll be living here for a while so you might as well take advantage of the peace and quiet now, because later, it's going to be rough from here on out. Me 'n' the guys have got some stuff we gotta take care of, but the others guys inside can help you with anything that you need..."

"Did I miss something??" Tori asked. The solemn expressions on everyone's faces gave her a feeling that she did not like. "Okay, what's going on?" Ryo sighed,

"... It's hard to explain. I think you would understand all of this better if it came from Kaos rather than form me."

"Ryo, we're gonna go scout for any of Talpa's gates. You comin'?" Rowen asked as he pulled something small form his pocket. Wildfire nodded and turned to follow. He looked back at the five women and sighed heavily when he realized that it would mean war once again for him and his friends. He had figured it would have been at least a few more years until Talpa would return. It was fairly obvious that he would return, and now that he thought about it, the last battle wasn't anything to what the former warlords had described. Compared to them, the battle with Talpa and the Inferno was just a duel.

He sighed again and smiled faintly at the girls before disappearing down the path towards the woods. "You guys know what this means, don't you?" he asked. Rowen looked up at the darkening sky, "War... Heh, I thought I could have finished college by now." Kento placed his hands behind his head, "Ah, you could fly through college in a week, man! Me? I gotta work on getting to class on time!" Ryo stopped,

"No guys... I'm serious here. Talpa's back and we don't even know how powerful he really is!" 

"We know Ryo. We kind of figured that when Kayura and the others came from the Nether Realm when Talpa attacked. It crumbled within hours!" Sage murmured. Sai pulled out his yoroi crystal from his pocket and stared down at it. The others followed. He rolled it around in his hand and the mark of trust flashed aqua in the setting sun. "I never thought we'd have to use these ever again..." 

"Yeah... But to be honest," Ryo began. "-I missed it..." A smile crossed his face when the crystal glowed in his hands. The light was as red and warm as he remembered. Kento grinned, "Me too... It's been a long time since I smashed some heads anyway..."

"Well, there was that one time at that bar we were at in Shinjuku," Sage laughed. Kento frowned, "Hey, was it my fault that the guy ran into my fist? Besides, he was botherin' Mia."

"Right, Kento..." Rowen enclosed his palm around the Strata yoroi crystal and took in a deep breath. 

One by one they closed their eyes and felt the orbs disappear from their palms. In a flash of bright light, their street clothes vanished, and the cool mystical metal slid over their hardened bodies like water. Ryo felt the familiar scent of sakura blossoms tickling his nose as he felt the power of fire surge through him once more; he was sure that the others were aware of it too. Ryo opened his eyes and looked down, "Heh, I forgot how naked I felt when I was wearing this."

"Y-yeah," Sage laughed. Sai fell to one knee. Rowen bent down to help him up,

"'Ey? You all right?" Sai stood on wobbly legs and smiled,

"Y-yeah... Power surge'll take a lot out'a ya. I'm fine..."

"YAH!" The boulder that had stood next to the five shattered to pieces. Kento coughed loudly as the dust cleared. "Y-yep!... St-still... Still got it!" 

"Come on, Hard_head_. We've got patrolling to do..." Rowen called from over his shoulder as he landed on a branch. The rest followed, leaving Kento and his pile of dust behind. "Dammit! Why am I the one always being left behind?!"

"Because all you do is stand around and mouth off!" Sage laughed.

"... I do not!"

Kento of Hardrock took a giant leap and latched onto the branch like a monkey. He watched his friends as they leapt from branch to branch. They were a little out of practice, but just the same they took to their duties as Ronins no matter the obstacle. "Look out Talpa! Hardrock is back!" he shouted and took off into the trees like lightning.


	6. Genesis

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Six: Genesis

"HOLY SHIT!!" cried Kento from the tree branches above the other Ronins. Ryo shot his eyes skyward. He blinked, head snapping upward. "What's wrong?!" he voiced the question that they had all been thinking loudly. The hair on the back of Wildfire's neck stood straight on end, almost afraid of what it might be as he waited for Hardrock to answer. "OH MAN! You guys need to see this!!" Kento turned his head away from his friends below him and back to the dark crimson horizon. Dark power danced wildly across the skies over the northern mountains and the air was heavy with its evil energy. Ryo choked on a gasp as he saw the skies across the valley. "Shit... I figured that they would at least wait..." he thought aloud. 

"Since when does Talpa wait?" Sage murmured thoughtfully. Sai squinted his sea blue eyes at the lighted sky. The sun was now gone, but the light that radiated from the mountains equaled that of a dusky sunset. His face fell as the faint silhouette of the castle appeared in the dark clouds. "... At least he's away from the city this time," Sai breathed in relief.

"How long do you think we have?" Rowen asked.

"... Three days. Three days before those gates start popping up like weeds, then this place will be crawling with soldiers," Sage replied. There was a flash of fuchsia colored lightning across the sky above them, nearly hitting the trees they were in. "Fuck me! That almost hit us!" Kento yelped. 

Ryo's head snapped to where the lightning bolt hit in the forest. Something besides its color triggered his senses. Noticing this look, the others froze, eyeing him in askance.

"They're here," he whispered, then fell from the branches as silently as possible. The others followed him without question, thoroughly vexed by the expression on their leader's face. They recognized that look and things would be getting pretty violent soon. "Ryo?" Kento began.

"Sh!" Wildfire held up an armored hand as he listened intently to the suddenly quiet forest. Sage's violet eyes narrowed. "Hear that?" he whispered. 

"Hear what?" Kento whispered. Sage unsheathed his star no-dachi,

"Exactly... Ryo," he warned. Wildfire removed his weapons from their place upon his back, his eyes darting around the clearing wildly. "I know, I know!" Sai held his yari to him defensively as he felt a chill run through him, his eyes darted wildly from the trees to the ground. Something had let its presence be known. An overwhelming aura engulfed the Ronins, nearly choking them in their stupor. "... What... What _is_ that?!" Sai whispered.

"Trouble..." Rowen snarled. Each raised their weapons cautiously and eyed the trees uncertainly .

A translucent figure detached itself from the darkness, its body disfiguring the images of the plantlife behind it as if they were looking through water. A long, serpentine body, back decorated with large spikes and heavy ridges slithered toward them slowly, its body resolving into a terrifying monster before their eyes. Hooded membranes slid open, exposing large, ancient, golden eyes that were the only light in the ominous darkness, and seemed to stare at them, as if waiting for something.

Ryo drew back slowly as the snake-like monster began to circle them cautiously. "Dude, that is one _big_ ass snake..."

Venom dripped from its fangs; earth and mud clung to its curving claws and scaly body. It crouched on clawed feet in enormous coils, its scaled sides gleaming in the dim light of the Dynasty. "Watch it guys... This ain't yer normal garden snake," Rowen warned in a whisper.

The creature's bladed tail swiped at the nearest Ronin, Kento. "Geez! What the hell is that thing?!" he shrieked, leaping back, arms waving to keep his balance.

"Thunder... bolt... CUT!" Sage screamed, unwilling to wait for an answer. 

The silvery black monster slithered out of the way of the sure-kill with ease and lunged at Sage, teeth bared. He barely dodged the swiping claws, and he landed on his back, face twisted in pain and slightly disoriented. The long blue tongue flickered in between its scaly lips before its jaw detached to swallow the smaller human whole. "SAGE!" Sai leapt upon the snake monster's back and drove his yari into its hard skull, giving the Warrior of Light enough time to roll away from the monster. An ear splitting shriek erupted from the creature as it attempted to throw Torrent from its back. Sai gritted his teeth as he dodged the sharp talons. The beast quaked beneath him as Kento hit it with his sure-kill, stunning it briefly. Torrent removed the smaller dagger from his back and slashed at its eyes, hoping to blind it. "SAI! Look out!" Torrent looked up to late as the scaled claw grabbed him around the torso, much like a child with a doll.

The twisted creature enclosed its hand around Sai, feeling the bones break upon the immense pressure. As his cries filled the air, the monstrosity flung him into Ryo as he leapt up to save his comrade. They landed into the ground, sliding several feet into the tree. 

The scaled lips peeled back from the silvery teeth, it's eyes flickering. "_Pitiful mortals..._" it snarled. Kento flipped away from the oncoming tail and caught himself on a branch, "That thing can talk?!"

"Who cares! Just kill it!!" Rowen snapped and fired a stream of several arrows into its belly. Several managed to penetrate the hardened skin, and blood as thick as mud oozed out of the openings melting the arrows instantly. "_Fools... I am a god!_" Rowen snarled and aimed for its eyes, "Arrow Shock Wave!!"

The arrow flew with the speed of light and sunk into its right eye. Kento's lips curled into a smile and charged the beast, tetsubo drawn. "Go back to hell!!" With all his strength, he drove his weapon into the beast's belly. Blood began to flow like water, splattering into Hardrock's eyes. Cursing loudly, he fell to the ground, clawing at his eyes in agony. 

"Kento!!" Sage threw his no-dachi aside and rushed at Kento, pushing him out of the way just as the beast fell to the ground, forcing the tetsubo out it's spined back. The serpent lifted its head and dragged its body across the ground towards Ryo. It pointed at him with one bloodied and mauled talon and spat out, "_You... Hariel's armor will-ARGH!_" 

The beast convulsed and in a flash of light, it disappeared revealing a smaller creature, a young woman. She stood wearily on her thrashed legs, dark blood flowing freely from them. Ryo stared at her nude form, completely stunned by her mysterious beauty and the incredible power that emanated from her. Finally having the strength to, she pulled Hardrock's weapon from her breast with a snarl and tossed it away. She then lifted her head, her golden eyes, one with a hole where an eye should be, burned into Ryo. 

A wry smile curled onto her dark red lips. "... Talpa... will rise again... Then the Kurai will be free once... more." Her long black hair wildly disarrayed in the slight breeze whipping about her bare, slender form. Ryo, snapping out of his reverie at her statement, snarled at her, "Who are you?!" The woman warrior's evil smile grew.

"... Managi..." And in a burst of black flames, she vanished. 

Ryo and Rowen stood ready, their bodies quivering with fatigue and only the sounds of Kento's cries were heard. Ryo fell to his knees, finally taking notice of the gigantic gash on his abdomen. 

"Kento! Kento!" Sage yelled over the young man's cries. Kento continued to claw at his eyes, the poison burning his sockets as if someone had taken hot pokers and driven them into his eyes. His screams worsened and Halo grew more and more frightened. The face plate muffled his screams some what. Sage tore Kento's helmet off and gasped at the amount of blood trickling down his cheeks. "Oh my god..." Sage grasped Hardrock's face in his hands and concentrated hard.

A warm green glow emitted from Halo's body and slowly entered Kento. The healing light poured in and out of Hardrock. He could feel a coolness overcome the burning sensation in his eyes and cried out as the pain increased for a brief second, then it was gone. Sage pulled his hands away from his bloody face and fell against the tree, exhausted. "... Damn, I forgot about the... energy drain..." Kento whimpered as he attempted to open his eyes. Sage covered them and took in a deep breath, "Kento... you... gotta keep your eyes shut..."

"Forget that! Where's Sai?!" he snapped. Ryo propped him in his lap and placed his hands on his forehead. He gasped. "He's like ice!" Rowen darted toward them, removing his helmet, then Sai's. Suddenly, Sai's armor vanished and his normal clothes replaced the mystical armor. Kento felt his way toward them, "Ro', what's wrong with him?!" he demanded worriedly. Rowen kept silent and worked quickly, checking the boy's pulse, then slowly feeling along his abdomen and rib cage. "... His ribs are crushed, weak pulse... He's still breathing surprisingly..." Rowen replied. Ryo pulled his hands away from Sai's head, they were sticky with blood. Sage lifted himself, as heavy as his body seemed, toward Sai and performed the same thing as he did on Kento, before passing out from exhaustion.

Sai's brow wrinkled before his eyes opened. "... God... what the hell..." he murmured when he sat up. "Sai, you okay?" Kento asked.

"I feel like shit..." Ryo smirked and helped him to his feet. He swayed for a moment and Rowen caught him before he fell to his knees. "Oh... Lit'le tipsy..." he murmured. Ryo spun his katanas onto his back. "Rowen, get Sage... He'll be out for hours and it's too dangerous out here."

"Ugh... No I won't..." Sage murmured. "Just took a little nap... I'm fine."

"Well, Sage is up, but what do we do about Kento?" Rowen asked. Kento rubbed his eyes roughly and tried to open them. "... Ow, geez! You guys start walkin'. I'll follow... some how." Ryo hefted a weak Sai onto his back and looked up at the sky. It had grown black and cloudy. Bolts of electricity zapped across the sky, claps of loud thunder following shortly after, then the heavens let loose a powerful shower upon the valley below. 

*****

Mia sat impatiently next to Cale on the sofa as they all waited for Ryo and the others to return. She had forgotten how much these little patrols of theirs made her worry. After a while she had gotten used to it, but now that there had been several years of peace, it was picking at her mind like a sharp thorn. The room was unbearably silent which made the waiting all the more torturesome. She didn't notice Cale's hand moving to lay gently on her shoulder and jumped as soon as he touched her. "Lady Mia, calm down, will you? I'm sure that Wildfire and the others are fine. They are together, after all," he said gently and put his arm around her. Mia flushed as she felt everyone's eyes on her, looking at her like she had lost her mind. "S-sorry..."

"Lady Mia, Cale is right. You have nothing to worry about. They have Inferno and bedsides, it's too soon for Talpa to invade this world just yet. He's still quite weak..." Anubis reassured. Mia sighed and looked down at her lap, "I-I know..."

"Masaki-san?" Megami began. "Just how long is this 'vacation' of ours supposed to last? We still have school to finish and our families'll get worried after a while..." Kaos turned his head away from the window, smiling at her gently. "... You don't have to worry about that. When you return home no one will even notice that you were gone for long, but in truth you will be gone for many weeks, months even..." He turned his attention toward Kayura. "You did remember to make the barrier, didn't you, Lady Kayura?"

"Of course. It activated only hours ago," she replied. Domo sat up from the floor and looked at her straight in the eye. "What are you guys talking about??"

"Yeah. Hey, Red. Does this have anything to do with you saying that we'll be going to a place 'where time has no meaning'?" Anubis frowned slightly from where he sat on the couch beside Kayura who tended to his arm. "... Don't call me 'Red'," he grumbled. "Yes, that is to what I was referring. Time will seem to flow regularly her, but in fact it's just quicker than the outside world..." Tori nodded,

"Okay... Huh?" Anubis let out an exasperated sigh.

"If one month passes here, it would only be a moment outside the barrier. Today is what, the first of the month? When you return home, most likely only a week would have passed..."

"Oh..."

"... Looks like will have our hands full when we get back. I don't think I can remember all of the stuff I learned in school..." Megami groaned, remembering the math test she missed earlier that day. Sakura sat up,"Okay... so why are we here exactly? We know the whole shebang with the giant floating head overlord and the Inferno, but..." she stopped and pulled out the light blue crystal shard, "what are these for?"

"Yeah... My best guess is that they make great paperweights," Nasake snorted.

"... The story behind these runes is long and our time is relatively short, so I will be as brief as possible," Kaos began, not looking away from the outside. 

"_In the beginning, Darkness covered everything. There was no life or death, right or wrong, good or evil, it was just dark. The gods, with one motion, divided the Darkness, and Light was created. From the nothingness, they created the sphere of rock we call Earth. It was a barren globe, completely blank on the outside and hollow on the inside. The gods descended down onto the planet and burrowed themselves deep into the Earth from different corners of the globe. When they met, the collision created the heated center and Fire was made. Erupting out of the ground, deep trenches were made and they spat the seven seas of blue Water. The gods were very pleased with their work and began to dance to rejoice. They danced in great circles. Faster and faster they danced until their motions created swift gusts of Wind. Swirling and turning, the clouds shaded their tired forms as they fell to the ground laughing. _

_Laying down, by the seas and rivers, they gazed up at the sky. It was empty and still, as was their world around them. They then had an idea. With the Earth and Water they fashioned seven creatures: the phoenix, the minotaur, the serpent, the wolf, the white tiger, the raven, and Man. Man would inhabit the Earth and as for the six others, they were the guardians of the elements created. To Man, these six creatures were sacred to the life around them; they kept the fires burning, the waters flowing, the wind blowing, the light and the darkness to alternate, creating day and night, and the dirt fertile for their food. Man gave these creatures names: Rekka, Kongo, Suiko, Korin, Tenku, and Kurai, and they worshipped them. _

_Eons passed and Man grew more ambitious and forgot about their guardians. The only one that grew bitter from neglect and disrespect was the Darkness guardian, the raven, Kurai. Kurai went to the gods and begged for them to punish Man for their crimes. The gods ignored his pleas and Kurai became vengeful. He released the plagues upon the Mortal World: Hate, Greed, Pestilence, Hunger, and War. The gods, upon Kurai's wrath, struck him down from the Heavens and into the inferno prison, Hell. Kurai begged the other five guardians to set him free, but none would listen. Since then, Kurai has sought revenge on the gods, the guardians, and Man. The gods knew that he would try and escape, so they locked the remaining five guardians into the runes you now hold and sent them the ends of the Earth as a seal... Some how, the runes were moved and the seal has weakened, thusly the rise of Talpa and many other demons to disturb the balance of peace... Over time they had created a gap between space and time to create the Nether Realm and it has been a battle ground for demon lords and Man over thousands of years..._"

"... I had always wondered how our world was created," Cale murmured. Anubis sighed,

"Aye... Now it's in the hands of Talpa once more. The only gate to it is in this valley and we have sealed it to prevent his further entry to the Mortal World." Sakura sat up,

"So is it like a place where all the evil spirits dwell or something?... Are you all ghosts or what?" Sekhmet laughed softly. 

"No... Lady Kayura, Anubis, Cale, Dais, and myself are very much alive like you, although we aren't exactly human." He saw the confused looks on the girls' faces and shook his head, "Let us just say that we live in what you humans call 'faerie-tale land'-"

"Sekhmet! Don't refer to home by that name," Dais groaned, "It makes us sound like we're faerie godmothers..." Sekhmet rolled his eyes and continued,

"Anyway... spirits, ghosts, demons, faeries, imps, elves, trolls, gnomes, dwarves, you name it, it's there. The five of us 'rule over'... or should it say 'ruled over' this world. Anubis is of the North, Cale the East, Dais the South, and I watch the West. Lady Kayura is the priestess of the Nether Realm; she's our Ancient in that world, whereas Kaos is the Ancient in this one."

"... Dude, so you guys are like kings... Cool," Megami smirked. 

"I wanna see this Nether Realm of yours," Tori smiled. "Bet it's better than this godforsaken rock we call Earth." Her face had quickly changed to a frown.

"Don't say such things about your home. At least you still have yours..." Anubis said in a stern, but saddened voice. Tori looked up at Anubis. His eyes had lost their proud glint and in its place was an indescribable emotion that she could not quite figure out completely. The room then fell silent as each of the former warlords felt his words sink in. Their home was gone and even if they could reclaim their world, rebuilding the lost empire looked hopeless. "... Sorry..." she whispered and turned away from Anubis.

Then there was a loud bang from the front door and a most recognizable voice could be heard arguing. "Dammit Rowen! I know who she was!!" Kento stormed into the living room, his face slightly red with rage. The other Ronins followed in suit, soaking wet from the storm. Ryo set Sai on the couch beside Anubis and Kayura. The boy had passed out halfway home. Sage took one look at Anubis' shoulder and ignored the fight between Rowen and Kento. As for the two other Ronins, they looked like they had been at it for a while. Rowen's face was less angry than Kento's; it just looked irritated. Kento's, however, was getting more angry every moment.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Kento!! She could have very well been something else the Dynasty pulled out of Hell!!"

"Oh come ON, Rowen! She was a warlord and you know it! How else could she have known about Hariel's white armor or be so sure that Talpa will rise again?!" Kento was about ready to punch Rowen in the jaw. He would have done it too had it not been for Sekhmet intervening. "Stop it the both of you!" He stepped in between both young men, glaring at the both of them. Kento looked darkly up at Sekhmet. The taller Ronin did not move from his place. It was clearly obvious who was the stronger man, had Kento decided to resist. Sekhmet was a living, breathing wall of muscle, and compared to Hardrock, the former snake king could easily crush the younger man. 

"Now, Hardrock... Tell me exactly what happened. Torrent and Halo look like shit!" Sekhmet exclaimed. Sage looked up from his work, "Thanks, Sekh..." he grumbled. Kento sat down and blinked his eyes, they were still stinging from the poison, but at least he could see. "We were on patrol and I was up in a tree lookin' over at the northern mountains... Talpa's on the move. The sky over there's all red and fulla lightning. The clouds have all ready spread over the valley and it's raining like crazy... The guys came up ta look and then there was this pink lightning strike. Scared the fuck outta me. Ryo here got all quiet and got out of the tree. We followed him and then there was this giant snake thing. Claws, lotsa teeth... _sharp_ teeth, scales like stone, spines that could cut the air in two... 'One big ass snake' as Ryo put it... Sage attacked it first, then everything went to hell! Sai was caught by the monster and it crushed him. I took a couple a whacks at it. Ro' blinded it, but that was after it started talkin'! Finally, I stabbed it and its blood got in my eyes. That shit, oh _my_ god-"

"Hardrock get to the bloody point..." Anubis sighed. He grumbled to himself because he knew how long-winded Hardrock would get. "Okay, okay! Anyway, I was in pain, but from what the guys told me, the snake thing turned into this _babe_. Looked like Sakura only... not human. Said something to Ryo about Hariel's armor, but she screamed and didn't finish. Ryo was all, like 'Who are you?!'. The chick said her name was 'Managi' or somethin'. But _man_!! She almost killed us!! Only a warlord could have that much power and know all about Hariel and Talpa... And who the fuck is this 'Kurai'??" Sekhmet shook his head and leaned down close to Kento. So much that he etched backwards to give himself breathing room. "Never mind that! Are you _positive_ that you heard correctly?! Managi?"

"Yeah! Dude, I don't forget names! Especially if she tried to kill us!!"

"Are you sure?!" he yelled.

"YES!!!" Kayura stood up,

"Sekhmet! Calm down! Why all the fuss over a name?!" The Ronin of Piety ran his hands roughly though his hair. "Gods... I thought she was dead!" He then turned on his heel and up to his room. "Sekhmet!!" Mia called up after him.

"No. Let him be..." Kaos ordered. "Now, Kento... What did Managi say exactly?"

"I'm not too sure... Ask Ryo... All I heard were names..." 

Ryo looked up from Sai's sleeping form. Torrent was exhausted from the battle and Ryo tried desperately to keep him warm. The air outside has grown considerably cold. "Managi said to me something about the Inferno... then she told us before she vanished: '... Talpa... will rise again... Then the Kurai will be free once... more.' I have no idea who this Kurai dude is, but it can't be good."

Kaos sighed. The grandfather clock beside the fireplace struck eleven. "For now... Let us all turn in for the night."

"But what about-" Kento began. Kaos held up a hand,

"Kento... please. Get some rest... That goes for all of you as well. Cale, Dais? Would you help Sai and Sage... They seem to be... out of it..."

"Of course..." Kaos looked over at the five very confused and astonished girls. Megami and Sakura looked up from Sai. They watched Cale lift the boy over his shoulders. Domo had Sage's arm draped over her back and steadied him as he tried to stand. Dais assisted her, "No, no, I've got him-"

"I can help-"

"Kento, Rowen, and Ryo... See to it that the girls find their rooms, please?"

"Sure..." Kaos then looked at all of them silently, then without another word, he ascended the stairs for the night.

_Until next we meet...._


	7. The Snake and the Wolf

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Seven: The Snake and the Wolf

It was well past midnight, and once more he was finding no comfort in slumber. Sekhmet turned over with his back away from the door and tried to settle down again. He closed his eyes and sighed restlessly. He couldn't stop thinking about what Hardrock had told him earlier. As far as he knew, Managi was dead. She had died years ago, before Ryo had defeated Talpa, before he was the Warlord of Venom. It didn't make any sense. His eyes forced open again and he sat up, removing the gold chain around his neck. He stared at the ring which hung from it for a long while. As the moments passed, memories and feelings of long ago flowed back to mind...

_The sound of swords clashing and the distant thundering of the collapsing castle filled the air. Naotoki snarled down at his bleeding arm as he caught it on one of the crumbling walls of his father's castle. He nearly stumbled over the fallen bodies of his empire's army as he sped toward his room. "Managi! Gods, where are you!?" he yelled as he dodged a flaming beam that now blocked his path. "Naotoki!... Here!" She had backed herself into a corner, trying desperately to avoid the flames. He looked around for a clear path, but found none. The beams in the room began to creak under the pressure and heat of the flames. _Damn you, Talpa... _"No!" he leapt into the wall of fire and snatched his bride in his arms, rolling out of the way just as the beams gave way. Managi coughed into his chest when he pulled her to her feet. "Can you stand?"_

_"Aye..." The flames had grown larger and hotter, making their retreat impossible. _

_"... Damn it..." Naotoki clutched Managi in his arms and leapt to the window, looking down at courtyard below. "It seems that there is no other way than to fight our way out of here..." Managi said and leapt out of the window, her great leathery wings unfurling and light rapier drawn. She came down on a soldier's head, cleaving him in two. He smirked wryly, mentally thanking his father for finding a woman capable of protecting herself along with being beautiful "So be it..." _

_Naotoki followed almost immediately after nearly slipping. He stumbled as he landed. "It's the Serpent King!" he heard someone cry, whose voice he would become all too familiar with very soon. The Warlord of Cruelty. He looked up too see a barrage of chains coming at him, binding him by the throat and arms. Laughter met his ears and Naotoki opened his eyes. "My, my! The great Serpent demon wed to a halfling!" Anubis sneered as he grasped her by the throat. "... And a very pretty halfling, indeed..." Managi cringed under the motion of his wandering hand. _

_"Don't touch her!!" Naotoki spat. He twisted himself free of the metal bondage, skin hardening into scales. _

_Snarling out in a language only Managi understood, Naotoki's body began to transform into a long, serpentine like body with sharp spikes protruding out of his back and claws and fangs that could cleave even the hardest of armors. "What in the seven hells is that?!" Anubis snarled, dropping Managi to the stone ground just in time to leap out of the way of the Serpent King's tail. Another sweep, Naotoki knocked the remaining soldiers dead, however more were still coming. "Managi," he began in a metallic and demonic voice. "Head for the throne room!"Managi scrambled to her feet. "What about you!? I cannot leave you alone to fight!"_

_"GO!!" he shrieked and spat out a stream of venom into another wave of armored samurai, reducing them to bubbling piles of melted armor and flesh. "Don't get killed!!" she ordered. _

_"I don't plan on it!!" He watched his empress turn and dash into the castle. He swiped at Anubis as he came towards him, he knocked the warlord to the ground and pinned him with his giant claw. He stooped over to snap the warlord's head off in his mouth. Anubis leered up at him, "Killing me will not stop Talpa from taking this empire... or your precious halfling..."_

_Suddenly there was a giant rumble and the great hall collapsed..._

Sekhmet sighed heavily as he remembered he last days as Naotoki, the Serpent King and his first as Sekhmet, the Warlord of Venom. He hadn't forgotten that horrible day or his lovely wife of only a few months. For the longest time, he had hated Talpa and Anubis, but soon time turned hate into anger, anger to guilt, and finally, guilt to sorrow. There were times when he would lash out at Anubis for no reason other than to release the anger that had been suppressed over the years. The others had no idea what was the cause of his outbursts, but Anubis knew and usually let him have his way with him; it was the least he could do.

With a choked sigh, he replaced his wedding band back around his neck and slipped out of bed. _I need some air... _Sekhmet slowly opened the door to his room, poking his head out first, then quietly slipping down the hall. With everyone's nerves on end, he had to be silent. If he wasn't, Hardrock would chase after him with a baseball bat. Sekhmet rubbed the back of his head, he still had the bump from last time. 

He passed by one of the girls' rooms. The door was opened slightly and he could see Nasake sleeping away. The old warrior raised an eyebrow at her sleeping form. Her body lay halfway off the bed, her feet dangling over one side, the blankets barely covering her somewhat exposed form, with pillows all around._ This one has sleeping habits more unusual than Strata and Hardrock!... Yet she is so content among all of that..._

Slowly he slipped into her room and attempted to fix the damage as best he could. Nasake murmured softly when he placed her back in the center of her bed, "... Mmm... ramen noodles..."

_She sleeps like Hardrock... She dreams like Hardrock... Good thing she doesn't snore-_

"ZzZzZ... zzzZ"

_Nevermind_. He fixed her shirt _very_ carefully and pulled the blankets back over her. Nasake shifted and turned on her stomach. Something caught Sekhmet's eyes that shocked him. Right along her shoulder blades, two very large scars ran almost halfway down her back. _What... could those be from??_ Shaking his head after giving up, he left, but not before noticing that Domo was missing from her bed. _Great... The stoic one is gone..._

Sekhmet slipped down the stairs without so much as a sound and into the kitchen. 

"... You are pretty noisy for a four hundred year old warrior."

"AH!... Gods, don't do that!" he whispered harshly at Domo. She sat at the kitchen table with a bottle of sake and a small glass and eyed the ancient king with a smirk. "... Scary when a novice in battle like me can pick up even your feet."

"I wasn't trying..." he defended with a slight blush. He sat down, sighing heavily.

"... Insomia's the only threat to you, I see." Sekhmet rolled his eyes,

"You don't know the half of it..." _Gods is she sharp!_ "What are you doing up? You may not know this, but the wake up call is at six... Five if you made Anubis angry."

"... He'll have so much fun getting Tori's lazy ass outta bed. She's worse than Nasake..." Sekhmet remembered the young girl in her tangled mass of sheets and smirked. _She's probably messed everything up again._ "... You are going to make yourself ill if you drink too much... Aren't you a little young??"

"... Please. When you've lived the kind of life I have, this stuff's like orange juice," she laughed. 

"... And what kind of life is that?"

"... No father, single-working mother that doesn't understand her kids, pain in the ass brother. This place is really, really nice compared to home. It's never this clean... My room's the exception. But... I suppose it can't be _so_ bad. Mom tries really hard, Rei... is just doing what he's supposed to be doing, being annoying... Then there's Ryu... He's been great to me. I'm really surprised that he's stayed with me all this time, putting up with all my shit..." she paused and took a drink. "I guess I'm really lucky... Some people don't even have half the life I do... like Tori or Nasake. Tori's parents just... left one day. Masaki-san's been her only strength. And 'Sake... She doesn't even know her father. Her mom was a control freak, never let her date, and put ideas into her head. She died a little while ago. She's got her grandmother, but... she'll be gone soon too..."

"At least you are all somewhat prepared for what is ahead... Trust me, what will start to happen in a few days time, will only be the tip of the iceberg..."

"Hm?" Sekhmet poured himself another glassful of sake and knocked it back easily.

"... Death, destruction, hate, torture, pain... That is what will be all around us very soon. One or all of you will snap... Gods, what is Kaos thinking?!"

"It's gonna be that bad?"

"... Aye. Which is why you should get to bed... You will need all your strength for tomorrow. They are going to work you to death." Domo swallowed the last of her sake and stood. 

"... Lovely... I haven't had a decent match in a long time."

"You sound so sure of yourself..." She replied with a chuckle.

"I'm not your ordinary school girl, Sekhmet... Hey, this may be a stupid question: anyone here use a sword?"

"... Halo, Wildfire, Lady Kayura and myself. The others have other weapons. Anubis and Dais have so many tricks that they amaze even me..."

"... Which one's Halo again?"

"Sage." Domo set her glass in the sink.

"He's that cute blonde, right?... Interesting..." She walked halfway out the door and stopped. "Oh, Sekhmet?"

"Aye?"

"... That woman, Managi."

"What about her?" he asked softly.

"... Where there's is one ring... there is always another..." Then she left, leaving the Ronin of Piety to his thoughts.

*****

_"... Death, destruction, hate, torture, pain... That is what will be all around us very soon. One or all of you will snap..."_

Domo leaned against the wall beside the kitchen door. Her hand involuntarily enclosed around the dark green shard she was advised to keep with her. _How is this small, little piece of stained glass capable of sealing away the most evil creature in the world? There's hardly any power inside-_

"Ow! Shit! Sage that was my shin! Aw, _bloody_ hell..."

"Sai hush! Do you want to wake the whole house?!" Domo pocketed the rune in her robe and tip-toed toward the back of the house; the sliding glass door was left wide open, giving her an obstructed view of the two Ronins. She backed up against the wall and peered through the glass. Sai was kneeling on the ground, breathing hard, face twisted in pain. If he hadn't said anything at first, Domo could have guessed that the taller Ronin nailed Torrent right between his legs. __

"Are you done whining? Talpa's not going to wait for you to get up to kill you, Sai..." The older boy glared darkly at Sage, saying nothing. "Get up... We've got only a few days before samurai start showing up..."

Domo made a small gasp, _Days?! Is he fucking crazy?!_

"I know that, Sage," Sai snapped angrily. "But the samurai are the least of our worries... If there's anything to worry about it's whatever the hell that demon is that we fought!"

"Sh! Keep your voice down, or someone-"

"Will hear you?" Domo stepped outside and toward the pair.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Sage asked, not expecting her to know. Domo leaned on the glass door. "... Don't care. Can't sleep, especially when we only have a few days to become hardened killing machines..." 

"Which is why you need to rest all you can before tomorrow... I'm not sure what the Ancient One is planning, but it can't be an easy task." Sai rolled his eyes,

"Huh! When is it ever?"

"I'll be fine, so will the rest of us. We're not exactly normal girls..." She pulled out her shard and tossed it into the air, catching it several times as she circled them. "And you think we are?" Sage said, taking a stab at Domo's sarcasm; frankly he was getting irritated that she was taking this kind of thing so lightly. She replied with a cool smirk, "Not at all... Just a little over confident." Sai stood up, frowning,

"And what's that supposed t'mean?!" he snapped. 

"Now, now... Don't get all defensive. I am only trying to make a point. Why exactly do you think that... 'the Ancient One' pulled us all the way out here? Because he is afraid that you are all too weak..." Sage crossed his arms,

"If I remember correctly, you were clueless to the power you hold when you got here. Now you're saying that you'll 'be fine'?!" Domo enclosed her hand over her rune. It began to pulse with a green light. 

"I know more than you think, Sage..." she murmured as her eyes shut. 

The tiki torches flickered sharply, their flames growing, then turning green. Almost immediately, she was engulfed in a soft green light, tendrils of power tapering off her glowing body. Both Ronins shielded their eyes and as the light subsided, she stood in a newer form. A dark, emerald cloak gathered at her shoulders, then seemed to fall like water down her slender now armored body. Onyx armor, mysteriously similar to Ronin sub-armor, protected her body, making her twice as light and swift. Her green eyes that peeked out from her cloak shimmered with a power that was all too familiar to Sage; they frightened him just slightly. At her feet, was an even more stunning sight. A wolf bearing the mark of the gods. It's coat was as white as untouched snow and it's ancient eyes sparked and glimmered with more wisdom and beauty than one could gather in ten thousand years. It sat still and silent at Domo's side; the eyes stared at Sage and seem to peer into his heart. For a moment, he thought that the beast grinned at him, but as late as it was it he was convinced that it was a trick of the light. "I am the keeper of Korin's rune," she said, pulling the clothed hood away from her head, revealing a small smile. "Before you stands the essence of Light Guardian Korin, the light bringer..."

"How... but... you..." Sai fumbled over words, absolutely speechless. Domo kneeled down and stroked the fur behind Korin's ears, "Korin was the first to come into this world... It's only fitting that it's keeper ascends to power before the others..." She glanced up at Sai, his face still blank in confusion. 

"How long have you been able to do this?" he asked.

"... A few weeks. This little one came to me in a dream before Masaki-san gave me the rune. Thereafter, I have been slowly gaining power. I assume the others are having similar dreams such as mine..."

"Do they all have animals?" Sai asked, kneeling slowly in front of the wolf. He could only imagine what the other guardians looked like. After all, he had never really seen a minotaur up close, and was a bit weary. Domo laughed, "If what she says is true, then I would hate to be Megami and Sakura when they wake up!"

"'She'?" they queried in unison.

_You Ronins are very amusing!_ Sai leapt back.

"It... talked!!"

_Of course I can speak, you stupid boy! Do you think me so ignorant like the beasts of this realm?!_ Torrent frowned as a hurt blush stained his light cheeks..

"Personality's too similar," he murmured under his breath. He saw Korin's eyes flash and he flinched. "Sorry..." Domo yawned, "Well now! I'm going to bed... Good night." She turned her back and started to leave.

"Wait! Where're you going?!" Sage demanded in a harsh whisper. Domo's armor faded into her palm in a green mist as did Korin. "I'm tired of talking tonight..." she said in a yawn. "Mmm! Forgot I got tired after transforming... Nighty night!" Sage and Sai gaped after her as she smiled sweetly and shut the door. 

"She remind you of someone?? " Sai asked.

"Yes. Give her a sword, dye her hair blue and she could be Kayura's evil twin sister."

"... That would be bad... Really, really, _REALLY_ bad."

*****

Managi's eyes fluttered open weakly. The minimal light from the torches in the room was too much for her pounding head, resulting in a angry yet feeble groan. The last thing she remembered was collapsing onto the stone floor of the throne room and the scuffling of soldiers' feet toward her. A cool hand slipped against her cheek almost immediately. Managi ignored the stinging lights and forced her eyes open, struggling briefly to sit up. Strong, but surprisingly gentle hands pushed her shoulders back down. They were chilled, like stone marble. " Do not try to move... You are still quite weak, Milady..." said a familiar voice of a much older man. Managi ignored him, trying to rise again, angry that she could not sit up, that she had lost to a bunch of humans. When she began to struggle again, another set of hands forced her gently back to the mattress. "... I know you detest to listen to this old man, but... heh heh t'will be my head if you do not recover," the old man chuckled. "Tsk, tsk, tsk... reckless just like that Kayura," he sighed and placed a cool, damp cloth upon Managi's forehead which had been soaked in a scented oil. Managi raised her clawed hand to the cloth and grinned through the pain. "You dare compare me to that witch? You are lucky to have me bed ridden old man," she began, then cracked open one eye, "in any case otherwise you would be back burning in Hell where Cruelty sent you!"

"Oh, please do not mention that incident in my presence," another groaned, a woman. 

"... Are you still angry about that? If it wasn't for him, you would still be dead, Milady Zeal."

"Stop your chattering, old man. I do not wish to hear of your failed attempts to destroy that traitor."

"Managi you speak so harshly of Lord Badamon! He was the one that kept you from going to Hell yourself!" 

"... What are you doing here?" Managi demanded in a groan.

"Lord Fou-Lu was worried about you, my dear Managi..." she said lowly. The Warlord of Hatred froze and turned her head in her direction. "He-he was?"

"Aye... You are lucky. Milord Fou-Lu does not approve of the weak often," Badamon murmured, wiping the excess blood away from her arm. "Perhaps Milord is... _lonely_?? Hehehehe, hohohoho," he chuckled. Zeal rolled her eyes and laughed, 

"Is that all you think about, old man? Although, I would not be surprised. He was in a lovely mood after leaving your room a few days ago..." she grinned. "He practically tore me in twine..." Managi flushed in response.

A cold draft blew through the room suddenly. "Careful Zeal... The walls hath ears." Badamon and Zeal lowered their eyes as the Warlord of Death stepped toward the bed. Managi swallowed hard as he bade them away. "Milord... She is quite frail from her battle earlier. She may be unavailable for combat for several days," Badamon informed. Fou-Lu nodded silently, then waved him away. Managi forced herself to sit up and greet him, "M-Milord... To whom do I owe the honor?" Fou-Lu smiled and sat down beside her battered form, slinking an arm around her bare body. "I came to congratulate thee on thine mission..." he said gently. Managi froze. This was not like him to be pleased by failure. 

"Milord? I-I do not understand..." Fou-Lu eased her back onto the mattress and stroked her long silken hair. 

"You hath accomplished in obtaining vital information about the Ronins. Master Talpa was quite pleased to know that they art as weak as kittens, and after that last battle, their strength hath been crippled."

"... What of those little girls with them?" Fou-Lu's lips pulled away from his teeth into a sly grin, a deep chuckle rising from his throat. "They have learned of the five Guardian's seal. It appears that those girls art the keys to unlocking Kurai from his prison... Lord Talpa is very pleased that they are all gathered in one spot and that the time of his revenge on the Gods and those pitiful humans is drawing near..." Managi gritted her teeth as a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. Fou-Lu calmly slid his hand underneath the silken sheets and onto her tight abdomen. A cool pulse emitted from his hand and the pain stopped. "Thee must rest now... I hath matters of which I need to attend," he breathed into her ear. "I look forward to thine recovery... The night is growing colder and longer..." Managi turned her head weakly toward him and smiled sleepily; she felt his lips close over hers, and then sleep instantly claiming her. Fou-Lu stood and removed a dark, almost onyx stone from his robe. _Lord Talpa needs only the other five... then the ascension shall begin.... Master Kurai will awaken from his long slumber..._

_Until next we meet..._


	8. Good Morningm, Shinjuku!

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Eight: Good Morning, Shinjuku!

_Tori stood in an empty clearing of forest; the wind whipping her long auburn hair about her body gently. "Where on earth am I?" she asked aloud, looking around in disbelief at the tall trees with leaves and branches of pure gold, diamond, and silver. The wildflowers at her feet sparkled in the golden light that seeped through the trees. She gasped and kneeled down to the ground, touching a small, crystal like flower that resembled a daisy. "Is this really a flower? Diamond petals? Topaz center?" she murmured in wonder. She picked the daisy and buried her nose into it. "Smells like a flower and it feels like a flower..."_

_ "Then 'tis a flower, yes?" Tori gasped and leapt to her feet. She whirled around, her eyes falling on the snow-white haired warrior, Fou-Lu. There was something different about him; his clothes were different than before and his eyes weren't the cold hard teal she had seen earlier. Instead they were a warm, soft color that glittered in the sunlight. Tori swallowed hard. "You... What do you want?" she demanded softly. Fou-Lu smiled warmly at her._

_ "Nothing... Thou need not be frightened. I will not harm thee..." He bent down and picked up the daisy she dropped in her haste. "Where... where are we?" she asked. The ancient man looked up at her and smiled again. "The Dark Realm... We art far from the castle. No soldiers, no demons, nothing here to bother thee," he replied. She whimpered as he advanced forward. She remembered Anubis' warning from earlier and backed away quickly, tripping over a root and crumpling to the ground. He kneeled next to her and chuckled. "Thou mustn't be so careless!" She stiffened as he reached up and tucked the daisy into her hair behind her ear. "Did thou hurt thyself?" he asked in a whisper as he extended his hand. He stared into her bronze eyes; Tori felt her hear tbeat quicken and her cheeks burn. She nodded shyly and took his warm hand. "Thank you, umm..." The warlord smiled,_

_ "Fou-Lu... Mine name." He pulled her to her feet and caught her as she stumbled forward, unaware of his great strength. She looked up at his teal blue eyes and felt her nose graze his, flushing lightly as his arms folded around her. _He is in league with the Dynasty... but I sense a strong kindness from him... He can't be as evil as Anubis says,_ she thought. Fou-Lu reached up and touched the strands of coppery hair, twirling it in his long, clawed fingers. "... Thou art afraid of me still, are ye not?" he whispered. Tori felt herself slowly nod,_

_ "... Y-yes..."_

_ He touched her cheek with his fingertips, then slid it behind her neck pulling her face closer. She gasped softly when she felt his warm breath upon her lips and his forehead resting against hers. She felt a flutter in her stomach as a strange and sudden emotion swept over her. The breath upon her lips made her yearn for them to press gently against hers and quench her sudden thirst for his admiration"... Ye need not be. I shall be thy ally... despite what Loyalty may tell ye. I shall see thee again... Stay alive... Little Bird..." Tori swallowed hard and closed her eyes as she felt his lips close over hers for a brief second before something tugged at her on the inside. _

_ She opened her eyes again to see that the warlord had vanished, his arms being replaced by another's that were even stronger, clothed in a red colored silk. Her body felt suddenly very calm and relaxed. Shakujo rings chimed in her ears; their rings signaling a warning. The chiming soon began to slow and finally taper off, leaving only its echoes in her ears. Tori looked up at the man holding her tightly. His face was so clear, so familiar, yet she could not figure out whose it was that smiled down upon her. "Where... am I?"_

_ "... A dream..."_

_ "Dream?" The man nodded and leaned down, planting a soft kiss upon her forehead. Tori's heart began to pound. A mere graze of his fingertips upon her cheeks and neck made her shiver with pleasure and she brought herself closer to him. "... If this is a dream... I don't want to wake up..." she thought aloud. These feelings, however alien to her, she let them take over her thoughts and actions, not caring what would happen in the next five minutes or ten years and just living a moment that she believed that she would only have in her dreams. "... Beware of the masked demon. Protect the seal and the man in white." Tori looked up at the man in crimson._

_ "What?"_

_ "The seal will shatter upon the destruction of the six runes and the man cloaked in white light..."_

_ "I don't understand... Who are you?" Tori felt him pull away and disappear in a flash of ruby light. As the light subsided, in his place a giant bird the color of rubies sat perched in front of her. "Fire Guardian, Rekka?" The bird nodded slowly. Tori stepped toward it and reached out to touch its glittering feathered crown. The phoenix leaned into her hand and sung softly, making her smile. "... Call upon me when you need my help," a voice said from behind her. The man in crimson again stood before her. Rekka flew to his shoulder obediently. "Who are you?" Tori asked. _

_ "I am Rekka."_

_ "But-" Rekka chuckled and stroked the phoenix's head._

_ "... I find it much more easy to come to you in this familiar form..." Tori felt herself blush. "... What do you want?" she asked._

_ "I am here to protect this world from my brother, Kurai, through you... Korin has all ready summoned your friend and as for the others, they are as we speak."_

_ "... Why... why us?" Rekka fell silent and stepped toward her slowly before answering her._

_ "... Why the Ronins? Why former warlords of the Dynasty?... They were chosen by the armors because they reflects its essence in the purest form... You and your friends are the same. Each of you are very similar to the element you command. Have you ever noticed why you have never been burned by the sun or by fire even at close range? It is the same with them... You were all born with the mark of the gods... Look."_

_ Tori glanced down at the back of her hand. A pulsing red light began to emit from beneath the skin. Rekka took her hand and held it gently. "... You are now the keeper of my rune and you have been given the power of the gods... Use them well. You will need all the power you can acquire to protect the ones you love and will love." She felt Rekka enclose his arms around her again. At the same time she latched onto him, suddenly scared. Scared that this feeling of security would never come to her again. Something tugged at her heart gently. "... Don't let me wake up... Please?" she begged._

_ "... You must... Wake up, Tori... Wake up..."_

"But I don' wanna wake up... I wanna stay with you..." Tori murmured in a half daze. She sunk into something warm and firm, wrapping her arms tightly around it. "... Well, you can't... Wake up you little dreamer." She blinked sleepily and looked up. Her eyes focused on a pair of gentle teal colored eyes staring down at hers. "... Darling?" For a moment she thought she was still asleep, until she heard the voice snap her back into reality. "That's _so_ sweet of you," grumbled the voice, "I never knew you cared, Little One." Tori's eyes went wide.__

AIIEEE! IMP! IMP!" she yelped and scrambled underneath her covers. Anubis frowned and ripped the blankets off of her. "Very funny. It's me you fool..." Tori peeked out from her pillow and blinked innocently, pausing. "... EVEN WORSE!! 'JIISAN!!"

"SHH! You'll wake the whole house!" he scolded in a harsh whisper covering her mouth with his hand. Tori flushed, "... Sorry. You scared me... _and_ woke me up from a very nice dream..." She sat up and yawned with a stretch. "What d'ja wake me up for- EEP!" she backed up to her headboard away from the foot of her bed where a very large ruby colored bird perched. Anubis turned his head and stumbled backward beside Tori in shock. "Dear gods! What, what-"

"Rekka?" The phoenix nodded slowly. He was much bigger now, almost the size of Yuli. Anubis blinked several times. "You- you know that thing?!" Tori crawled over to Rekka and touched his feathered crown gently. She smiled, "... I thought it was all a dream."

_Dreams, they say, are slivers of the future. Every dream contains some vision of what will be... Do not forget that, _he said into their minds.

"He talked..."

_Why do you looked so shocked, Loyalty? Surely you must deal with this sort of thing daily, especially for a man such as yourself!_ he laughed. Anubis' jaw dropped several times, trying to say something, anything that was intelligent. Tori sat on her hind legs, "Why didn't you just come to me like you are now?"

_Would you really have stayed in the room long enough to listen to a talking animal? Especially if it hasn't existed for thousands of years? _She bit her lip,

"... Probably not."

"Wh-what are you doing here, Lord Rekka?" Anubis stuttered, finally managing a half decent sentence. Rekka hopped off of the bedpost and toward Anubis. He peered at him closely, cocking his head to one side, then if he could have, he would have grinned. ... _She's right... You do look somewhat like an imp. _Anubis remained silent and a little frightened of the mystical creature sitting in his lap making idle comments about his appearance, which Tori found rather amusing. Rekka's eyes twinkled briefly, _Ah, just as I thought. You have the same white light within you as well..._

"Ex-excuse me?"

"... 'White light'? Do you mean Hariel's Inferno?" Tori asked.

_... Not quite. His heart is pure, just like Wildfire's... although... it's... tainted... Sadness perhaps?... Loneliness, yes... that's it. No matter; it will fade with time._

"What is so interesting about me that you have to speak to us in riddles?" Anubis asked, a slight frown on his face. Tori shrugged, "He's a god... They work in mysterious ways, remember? But yeah, what's up with Red here? Is he in danger? Is some sort of evil thing spawning inside of him?" Tori lifted a lock of his hair to look inside his ear. "Hey! Wow... Very interesting."

"What are you doing? What's so interesting?" he asked.

"... There's... nothing in there!!" she laughed.

"Hey!" Tori dodged his arm and laughed. Rekka flapped his wings gently and nestled down into Tori's lap. _Not yet, but soon._

"We have to buy you ear plugs then, Red."

_No, no, no... He is in grave danger. Loyalty, you must take caution and plan your actions carefully. Do not be fooled by past memories. Things are different now..._

"I... do not understand, Lord Rekka." Rekka lifted his head and looked up at him.

_Your fate is quite hazy now... but you _will_ be tempted by Kurai's darkness... It is... strange though. I see a future of one of light and... darkness._

Anubis' face darkened. There was not a chance in hell that he would even think about relinquishing his soul to evil again. Tori touched Rekka's neck gently, "Rekka?... When you say Kurai, you mean Talpa, right?"

_... It is hard to say. Talpa may very well be Kurai himself, or merely a manifestation created by him. Either way, Talpa is apart of Kurai... As is the Dynasty and all who come from it._ Tori saw Anubis stiffen.

"What of the demon warlord Fou-Lu?" he asked, taking a stab at a hunch he had been thinking about. _It is still unclear to me as how he was "born", but... they say that he was the very plague that Kurai sent to the Mortal World eons ago before his damnation. He is, in theory, the very essence of hate, greed, pestilence, hunger, and war... He is almost as powerful as Kurai himself, however no one knows for sure, not even my Creators. Kurai works under a shadow of complete darkness. Nothing can get through, not even with the combined powers of the remaining five Guardians... and utilizing our power to its fullest could result in the collapse of the worlds: Mortal, Heaven, Hell, and the Nether Realm._

Tori bit her lip, "Is it really that bad?"

_Let us just say that all four worlds will cease to be... The Apocalypse if you wish to give it a name. This is precisely why it is better to use the seal of a thousand years; we do not know what may happen if we use our full power._

Anubis sighed heavily, "... Aye. The Ancient One used that seal on Talpa a thousand years ago." Rekka nodded in agreement. "But what I do not understand is the need for these girls," Anubis continued. Tori frowned.

"Hey-"

_... Kaos at one time had possession of all six runes. Which enabled him to seal Talpa. However, he lost the Darkness rune when he created the nine armors... It was stolen from him by Talpa's last bit of energy. Because we do not have the Darkness rune, we must use the life energy of humans to make up for that loss. This has been so since the Beginning. The Darkness rune has a habit of disappearing on its own, something I have yet to solve._

"'Ri-san, 'Ri-san,. 'Ri-san!" Kiku sang as she came down the hallway from Yuli's room. Tori had forgotten all bout her little sister. Kiku toddled into her room, still in her pajamas. "Good morning!" she smiled. Tori and Anubis panicked.

"Oh shit! It's my sister! Quick hide!"

_No need to worry... The child is also a large part of our destiny._ Kiku stopped at the foot of Tori's bed and stared at the glittering bird in her sister's lap. "... Ohh, pretty... pretty bird..." she whispered. Rekka flew down beside the child, the room falling silent. Kiku stared at Rekka wide eyed and with a small smile on her cheerful face. She reached out and touched Rekka's sparkling feathers of ruby, speckled with sapphire and emerald stones upon his tail feathers and breast. _Hello, little priestess... I am Rekka, your sister's guardian, _he said gently to her. Kiku gasped. "He talked without moving his mouth, 'Ri-san," she gasped. The phoenix sang softly with amusing delight. _Yes. I can do many things, little priestess. You are going to be very important very soon..._

"Is that good?" Kiku smiled when the bird nodded. "I wanna fly like a bird! Can you fly, Rekka?"

_Aye, I can. And I shall teach you many secrets... but first you must promise me something, _he said in a whisper.

"What?"

_... You must always, _always_ remember to love. That love is what will make you soar higher than I! Love will protect you if you remember to do so, always..._

"Okay... Hey 'Ri-san, Rekka is a nice birdie!" she smiled. Tori kneeled down in front of Rekka, a slight frown on her face. It quickly vanished and she hugged her little sister. She glanced over at the heavenly creature with worried eyes. She did not like the way Rekka spoke just then. His words seemed very ominous and almost frightening.

"Tori? Is something wrong?" Anubis asked gently. She looked up and set Kiku on her bed. "No. I'm fine... I was just wondering if the other girls had-"

"EEEEEEEEE!! MASAKI-SAN!!" Sakura's screams could be heard from down the hall. "THERE'S A GIANT DRAGON-EEEE!"

"Wha's wrong Sakur-AAAAAA!!! M-M-M-MINOTAUR!!!" Megami's soon followed. Rekka hopped onto Anubis' shoulder as he and Tori ran to the girls' room. Anubis looked up at him, "... You have wings don't you?"

_Yes. But my wingspan is too great for these narrow halls and I fear that I may hurt your girlfriend with my talons,_ Rekka replied only to him.

"She is not my girlfriend, your Lordship," he murmured with a frown. Rekka's eyes sparkled for a moment. _I can't imagine why._

"... You don't know her very well, do you?" Tori looked back at Anubis as they turned the corner. "Are you talkin' to yourself again, Red?" Anubis frowned, remaining silent.

*****

"... Mia's gonna shit bricks when she wakes up," Kento gulped. He eyed the white tiger, who had let himself be known as Tenku, with great respect to his teeth and claws. He sat curled up on the couch, eyes closed and tail swishing back and forth slowly. 

Whiteblaze stared at the other tiger while he sat sulking on the floor. The couch was _his_ spot, even though he was never supposed to be on it. A deep feral snarl emanated from his throat. Ryo slipped his hand behind his tiger's ears and scratched them, "Hey, don't worry, boy... He's not bad..." Whiteblaze's growl became deeper, then he got up and padded slowly around the couch toward Tenku. He leaned forward and sniffed the ancient guardian's silvery fur and snorted before flouncing out of the room. Tenku opened one ice blue eye. _Territorial, isn't he?_ he chuckled. Ryo laughed and just shook his head. Tenku's eyes rolled sleepily over at his new keeper, Nasake. She yawned and stiffened when she caught his eyes on her. The large tiger bounded off the couch and over to her. She pulled her feet up against her chest and etched away from him. _You need not be afraid. I'm not going to eat you._

"That's not it... It's just I... I..." The girls lunged forward quickly,

"Look out!"

"Ah-CHOO!" all over Tenku. "Ugh... Sorry. I'm allergic to cats." Ryo's face fell,

"You're kidding..."

"Looks like Whiteblaze is going to have to stay out on the porch for a while..." Rowen suggested. 

Domo let out an agitated sigh, "What are we waiting on? Everyone is here aren't they?" Megami squeaked as the Earth Guardian, Kongo, hefted her over his shoulder. "Put me dooownn! I hate heights!! Help me!!" She waved her arms as the minotaur carried her outside.

_You have much to learn, little summoner. Are you coming, Korin?_ The wolf and Domo followed behind them. Kento and Sai stared after them. "... How the hell's he gonna fit through th' door? He's like... a walkin' boulder." Kongo stopped at the sliding glass door, then he diminished, with Megami, into a glittering dust that passed right through the door. "DUDE!!"

"A-a-a-a-a-ah... that felt weeeeird!!" Megami squealed, still thrashing about. Sai smirked,

"... Well that problem's solved. Let's go outside."

*****

Domo tossed the green rune in her hand several times as she looked at her four girl friends. "Okay then. This isn't really all that hard. You just need to clear your mind and think only about whatever your element is, got it?"

"Sure."

"Yep!"

"Uh huh." Megami looked up from her rune,

"Huh?... What are we doing again?" Kongo unfolded his arms,

_This is not a time for sport!_ His voice inside her head was angry and she flinched.

"Sorry..." Domo sat on the ground in front of them as they each closed their eyes as she instructed. 

Cale stared at the five girls and the large Guardians from a fair distance away so that they would not disturb them as they talked. "Is anybody else getting a bad vibe about all of this?" he asked and turned back to the other Ronins. Sekhmet rolled his eyes, "Oh gods, not another one... Are you sure it isn't something you ate this morning?" he asked in an annoyed tone. Sai looked up, "Hey! What are you implying-"

"No! I mean it this time and besides I was drunk the last time that happened. And something bad did happen Mia passed out and fell down the stairs! She almost broke her neck, you idiot!" Dais frowned,

"When did that happen? More importantly, why were you _drunk_?!"

"It happened a few weeks ago. You were out with Anubis and Ryo scouting again. Mia was taking her dirty laundry downstairs when she just passed out. She was lucky that Halo was there at the time when I found her. And I wasn't _that_ drunk... I was tipsy," Cale sniffed and folded his arms. Dais raised an eyebrow and looked back at the house. He saw her in the kitchen feeding Kiku and Yuli. She looked up and waved, then Kiku splattered her with the food. He chuckled to himself and turned back to the others. "Wildfire... How long did you say about Talpa and the gates?" Anubis asked. 

"... Uh, two or three days, but I was hoping by then that they would know how to use all that fire and stuff like Kaos said over the phone. He said that it wouldn't take 'em that long..." he replied. The soccer ball he was balancing on the bridge of his nose was knocked away by Kento. "Hey!"

"I say we just bust in there as soon as they can transform. We didn't have any time ta train or whatever when Talpa came. They're fast learners. Look at that Domo-chick over there. She knows what she's doin'..." Rowen frowned,

"That's because she's had some training all ready... And it's not a good idea because we'll be too busy saving them to save our own asses!" Sekhmet's eyes flashed at the two boys,

"Don't start..."

"Ahh!! No don't throw me in the-" There was a giant splash and loud laughter. Sakura's head bobbed up out of the water, her eyes promising the next person to laugh would die a painful death. "When I said I was having trouble feeling the 'essence of my element', the help I wanted was NOT THROWING ME INTO THE LAKE!!" she shrieked and began to swim her way to shore. The water suddenly bubbled around her. "Whoa! It's like a jet stream!! Eek, that's cold water!!" Korin leapt upon a rock for a better look at the lake. She looked around, 

_Suiko's missing..._ Kongo and Rekka shook their heads when they saw their comrade was playing games again. _That Suiko... Always the one to go off and play... _Rekka said. The next thing that met their ears was Sakura's screams as she was shot up out of the water by a giant geyser from the water serpent's mouth. The stream stopped suddenly and she fell back into the water with another huge splash. _Wow!! Did you see how far I made her go!? I haven't had this much fun since that time when I took that one guy Odysseus on a free trip around the Mediterranean!_

_ Suiko! This is no time for play! Did you know that it took that poor human years to find his way home?! And that damned Cyclops wouldn't stop complaining that he let a human get the best of him!_ Tenku snarled. The giant dragon lowered her head as the tiger continued his rant, '_My eye' this and 'that damned human' that! Gods, I didn't get the proper sleep the last thousand years! You need to learn to act your age!_ Suiko's tail splashed the water clumsily.

_Stupid old bag of wind..._ She huffed a breath of hot steam.

_What was that?!_

_I'm sorry!_ Suiko submerged and lift Sakura out of the water upon her nose. _Forgive me lady summoner... I don't know what got into me._ Sakura wrung her shirt out and sighed,

"S'okay..." she lowered her voice, "At least you're not as uptight as the rest of these guys," she whispered with a grin. Suiko would have smiled if she could have.

"Are we almost finished? My head's starting to hurt..." Tori frowned. Rekka sat upon her shoulder. _We are far from it. Now concentrate or we are all how do you humans say: Dead meat?_ An agitated groan left the girls' mouths when they continued.

"Ha... They remind me of us when we were first learning to call the armors. At least I had a difficult time. I don't know about the rest of you," Sage said.

"At least mine didn't throw me in the water," Sai added, still laughing about what had happened earlier. Kento raised an eyebrow at the giant minotaur as the beast looked to be explaining something to Megami. "Yeah... that Kongo... thing... is a real hard ass. I know that they've been locked inside a giant rock of a thousand years, but it's still no reason to be pissy..."

"You, Hardrock, need to listen to your own advice," Dais chuckled.

"I'm different..."

"You sure are..."

"That's righ- HEY!!" Kento tackled the Ronin of Serenity and an all out wrestling contest commenced. Anubis held the bridge of his nose, feeling the presence of yet another migraine, and sighed heavily. "You _haad_ to push his buttons, didn't you Dais?" He and Cale moved to pry the two warriors apart when Kiku and Yuli came running out of the house. The younger one was in tears. She ran straight to Anubis. "Mi-mi-mi-mi-saaan!!" she cried. Yuli was on the verge of tears himself as he explained, "Guys! M-mia's collapsed!! She was in the kitchen talkin' about food when she fell! I-I-I tried to wake her up, but-" Anubis and Cale promptly dropped Dais and Kento in shock, "WHAT?!" Cale took off for the house like lightning. Dais and Sage followed him shortly after, nearly tripping over Hardrock and Whiteblaze in the process. Anubis picked up the crying child and attempted to calm her. "Shh... shh... It'll all right. Mi-san's going to be okay... Shh..."

"Anubis what happened?!" Tori demanded and started toward him. She froze when she saw Kiku in a state of hysteria. "Kiku!"

"Return to your training! Never mind what happened! Everything is fine!" he said sternly. His anger made Kiku's crying more consistent. 

"Anubis..." Rowen called. The Ronin of Loyalty turned around and frowned,

"_What is it_?!" His face darkened as his eyes fell upon three figures clad in dark armor standing battle ready. Behind them, about one hundred gold samurai soldiers. "We've got company..." Rowen finished. Anubis held Kiku closely as his armor formed around him in a flash of light. 

"Hello Ronins!! Ooh, there are more girls like her!" Raiko grinned and leapt towards them. He aimed his sights for Domo, but hit a large invisible barrier, created by Korin.

_Not today, cat. Ironic, isn't it? Cat versus dog..._ The wolf bared her teeth at Raiko.

"Feh..." The warlord spat out dark blood and unsheathed his sabre. "... She is yours, I see. No matter... His Majesty wants that rune... All of them. And if I should have fun killing a dog, then so be it."

"Korin! Wait! I can-" Domo began, a ball of green light appearing in her palm.

_Stay back, young summoner! This is one battle you all cannot win in your current state. Just keep concentrating! KONGO! Keep that barrier up as long as you can!!_

Kento stood up and looked back at the girls. _Shit... They are sooo not ready for this now. Looks like the Little Man Behind the Curtain finally got back to Talpa with that brain... _"... Well, this is just fucking _great_! Hey fearless leader! What do we do now?!" he called as his sub armor formed around him. Ryo smirked, "Do what we do best..."

"Sweet... Let's party... HEY SAAAI!!" Kento called as he decapitated a soldier with his foot. Sai looked at him for a second and was slammed in the jaw, knocking him into a large tree. "Aw, you lit'le bugger... What is it Kento!?" Sai catapulted himself into the attacking soldier and proceeded to beat the crap out of it while swearing up a storm in the process. Kento picked up a smaller, scrawnier soldier.

"GO LONG!!" and Kento, showing a finer throwing arm than many professional quarterbacks, hurled the shrieking soldier to a ready Torrent who reduced him to scrap metal in one punch. "AND THE RONINS SCORE THE FIRST TOUCHDOWN IN THE ARMOR BOWL. RONINS 7 POINTS; BUCKETHEADS ZERO!! WHOOOO!!"

"HARDROCK!! QUIT SCREWING AROUND AND FIGHT!!" Anubis roared. Luckily, he had Yuli take Kiku inside before he began to spout phrases that were less than educated about a certain emperor and his "fondness" of certain armors that would be impossible for anything living to do with them for such a "private occasion". Kento frowned and kicked a soldier in the rear. " Tch... Party pooper..."

_ Yeah, Kento-kun's a party animal... How many guys do you know that can hurl a 2 ton Dynasty soldier 300 feet???? Read some more and you can see what other fun things you can do to a Dynasty soldier to make him cry for his (or her) mommy..._


	9. Out of My Head

Okay uhh... I made a tiny mistake.*sweat drop* Last chapter's title is all screwed up. Found out by watching the DVDs that are out (buy them!!! buy them all!!) and Tokyo and Shinjuku are the same place and Shinjuku is just a downtown district... Then there's this thing with Toyama, I think that's also another district... But the Toyama that I'M talking about is actually a province (or state) in Japan aways from Tokyo. That's where this is all taking place. So if you all were confused, SORRY and if I've further confused you, SORRY again. Umm... yeah enjoy some of the ins and outs of good ol' bishonen in form fitting armor. You _know_ you want it... ^.^

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Nine: Out of My Head

Rowen flipped expertly upon the roof of the house throwing a superior grin down to his pursuers in golden clad armor. Suddenly he turned around and gave the samurai his most action stopping face...

"Nyahh!" and spit a huge raspberry down at them.

Just then flushed as he realized how ridiculous he looked with his tongue hanging out of his wide open mouth and the fact that he'd lose it trying to dodge half of the Dynasty's artillery that was being thrown at him; however, he did manage to stop the barrage of weapons coming at him briefly. His carefree nature and 'who gives a shit?' attitude had always proved to take _someone_ by surprise, be they living or just a bunch of evil spirits running amuck in some armor. He looked down at the samurai with a smug grin on his handsome face; there they stood looking up at him also waiting for... something. Rowen then noticed that they had depleted their arsenal of weaponry; it all currently was stuck in the roof, the nearby tree or had completely cleared the house and lay in the backyard. His smile grew. "What's th' matter? Is that all ya got?! You can't hit _nuthin_'!! Man, you guys are losing it!... Psh, what am I sayin'?! Ya never had 'it'!" he laughed. The small unit of soldiers looked at each other, then around them, and returned to look up at Rowen who taunted them again with his 'face'. At that point he didn't care how dumb he looked, he was having a great time. He stopped his ridiculing little dance as the samurai quickly dispersed. _Hey, where're they goin'? Don't tell me that they left because of my face!!... This is a first. Usually I get a few whaps from the guys, but-_

A rock hit him upside the head; his helmet began to ring. He fell backward and groaned. "OW! The hell?!" he exclaimed as he picked up the softball size stone. Another one came and missed him. "Rocks? But-" Suddenly he was attacked by a shower of many stones varying in size. "Ow!! Shit!" He stood and managed to glance down off the roof before getting hit again. "Dammit!!" The samurai had returned with an arms load of stones from Mia's garden and began to attack the Ronin with no mercy. "Ya gotta be kiddin' me!!" Suddenly the shower stopped and Rowen opened his eyes, looking down at them. They didn't look very pleased at him, but suddenly, for some strange reason, they began to cheer. Rowen frowned in confusion. _What are they up to now? First the rocks, now this..._ The Ronin of Life received his answer as an arrow flew past him barely grazing his nose. With a short yip, he fell backwards, eyes wide, and craned his head to get an upside-down view of an answer. "Oh..."

There were about two-dozen soldiers surrounding his only exit. 

All of which had an assortment of weapons, mostly arrows, pointed at his head. He slid to his feet slowly, grinning nervously. "Heh, heh... Hey guys... Fancy meetin' you up here." Something in the tree branches behind the soldiers caught his eye causing him to smile. "What are you smiling at, _boy_?" Rowen groaned and rolled his eyes. 

"God, ya know you'd think you guys would have come up with somethin' a lot better by now! I'm not exactly a kid anymore, ya know..." The soldiers looked at him confusedly. "Hey, you guys like cats?" Rowen asked. The samurai remained confused which seriously annoyed the blue haired Ronin. Apparently they all shared that common trait. _Must be all related to Kayura, _who confuses easily. "... Look behind you," he sighed.

Whiteblaze catapulted himself onto the group of soldiers, claiming several heads and arms in the process. The ancient cat hadn't had this much fun since the last time Talpa tried to take over the Mortal Realm; Strata stood by and shook his head with a chuckle.

"_Iron Rock Crusher!!_" Rowen snapped his head towards the backyard; Kento was having entirely way too much fun, but he wasn't about to stop him. Hardrock just wiped out half of the soldiers in one sure kill and he knew that he had definitely not warmed up yet. In fact, Kento seemed to have become much more leveled headed, Rowen noted as he watched Kento from the tree.

"Huh?! Yeah, ya like that?! You can tell Talpa he can kiss my white ass th' next time ya see him!" Rowen chuckled to himself. 

_Maybe not..._ It was like old times again. Head bashing of some sort was always fun whether it was one of the Dynasty or a lecherous drunk at a bar harassing their Mia, but he had to admit he that missed it. It seemed so long ago since he and the others 'killed' Talpa. Now the Ronin was almost relieved that they hadn't; life was beginning to suck again. His letters from his mother had stopped and Lord knew where his father was. _Probably off on another space hunt somewhere in the U.S... Maybe I'll go visit sometime._

"Ha!! You think that hurt?! Wait until I come over there!! Hey Sekh! Watch your six, man!!" Sekhmet took a sickening blow to the back of his head and fell to one knee. Kento winced, "... I tried to warn ya!!"

"Hardrock, shut up!" Rowen shook his head.

_Like old times..._

"Annoying pest, let... GO!!" the former snake emperor snarled and dug his claws into the armored arm choking his neck. With his other he took the soldier's head clear off of his shoulders and launched it at another. Rowen stared at him in shock._ Damn! Remind me never to give that man a noogie..._

A small yelp came from the giant dome shield created by the monstrous Earth Guardian, Kongo. The younger teens sat in a circle trying hard to concentrate with the barrage of Raiko and Zeal along with a few samurai. Two of them he noticed shook violently. He wasn't sure if it was out of fear or pain. Megami's face flinched every time the shield was hit with a beam of energy from Raiko and Zeal. Was Kongo using her life energy to help protect them or was it something else? She screamed again; now he knew that sound all too well. As for the other, Nasake, she just shook scared out of her mind. The other Guardian beasts, with the exception of Suiko, had gone out to aid the Ronins in the onslaught of what seemed to be an endless amount of Dynasty warriors.

Looking over at the remaining warrior clad in dark armor similar to theirs, he frowned. Other than the horny feral demon, Raiko, and another he did not know, the last one had not moved. It looked like he, she was waiting for something to happen. He figured that Anubis was thinking the same thing because he was fighting his way over there, which wasn't the smartest thing to do considering the number of soldiers that they brought and the intense power radiating from the three new warlords. Rowen frowned and slipped off the roof to aid the older warrior.

*****

Yuli had his face pressed up against the window and watched in awe as his friends sliced through the Dynasty's soldiers one after another. _Wow... I can't wait until I can do that._

"Boy, get away from the window! It's dangerous!" Dais snapped. Yuli fell backward in shock as the former warlord entered the room with his armor. Dais still sent chills down the younger child's spine whenever he was near while the boy was alone. His armor only made it worse. He wasn't sure why he was afraid of the ancient man. Maybe it was that day they met face to face inside that ancient shrine when he, Ryo, and Sai were doing there best to solve Rowen's part of the poem to find him in space. Or was it because he was the only one of the former warlords that mainly kept to himself? He just wasn't sure, but he never thought twice about disobeying him lest feel the unknown wrath of the warrior. Like lightning, Yuli scrambled away from the window and out of the room, nearly colliding with Sage. "Whoa, slow down!"

"S-sorry Sage... I-I... I'll go keep an eye on Kiku," he stuttered and ran away quickly. Sage blinked, _What spooked him? ... Besides the obvious, of course._ He entered the room and found Dais and Cale looking over a sleeping Mia. "How she doing?" he asked. Cale touched her forehead and sighed; it was a long moment before he looked up and finally answered the violet-eyed teen. "... She has a high fever, but other than that she just needs to rest a while," he replied and stood. Dais caught his eye as he stood at the far end of the room with an absent stare at the clashing of age-old enemies outside in his one eye. His thoughts though appeared elsewhere, making Cale grow uneasy with this uncertainty. Whenever Dais became quiet and distant, he knew that something was churning inside that dark mind that screamed and ached to be released; it wasn't wise to be around him when it happened. 

Sage looked up at this unblessed silence and watched both warriors with interest. He had known them evil and good, but there were still many things that he still didn't know about any of them. Kayura always seemed to be so cheerful and optimistic most of the time, but then she would just disappear for days on end and return changed in someway. And as soon as he would take notice, the mask she knew she wore would return and he left in the dark... 

Anubis was always sort of a space case ever since he had been called back from what he knew to be as 'Heaven'. The young blonde often wondered of asking the silent Ronin of his unique 'spiritual journey', but whenever he would get the nerve, a sad look inside the warrior's eyes would silence him. It was an empty look that made Sage feel glad that he had his friends around all the time... 

As for Sekhmet, the lech, the pervert, the all around more mature version of Kento, if possible, the person whose human form only served the purpose for human breeding, was a very lonely soul despite all of the women he had 'known'. However, Sage didn't believe that he had always been like that. Perhaps the need for these 'one night stands' was something merely to fill in a void that had been ripped from him. There was only one thing he had to go by and that was this woman, Managi... 

The former Warlord of Illusion was a mystery to everyone. Everything about the oldest Ronin was a mystery: the missing eye was only one of them. Dais had always been somewhat secluded from the others. He often saw that the only joy that he got in life now was when he was practicing his all ready perfect kata or when he was around Mia and Kayura. Women seemed to bring out the best in him, if there was anything inside at all... 

And finally his alter ego, Cale he found to be somewhat eerie in existence. Since he first heard his name, he had always felt that there was something about this man that he knew. That and the mysterious reason why he had a crossed scar over his left eye. It sent chills down the young healer's spine every time he thought about it. He continued to think about each persona for some reason until Dais' voice broke the silence. "... We need to get back out there. Kongo is weakening..." he warned and picked up his helmet. Cale looked back at Mia, then nodded. Sage stood quickly,

"What do we do? We can't just leave her and no one knows where the Ancient or Kayura are-"

"Halo, Dais, Cale... Go on and aid your friends. I will take care of Mia." Sage stumbled backwards when the voice surprised him. He picked himself up and flushed. _... What's wrong with me? I'm never this jumpy!_ He lifted his eyes and found the Ancient in the doorway. "Where's Lady Kayura?" he asked.

"... Outside. She insisted that she help the... 'less fortunate' fighters," Kaos replied with a sigh. Cale smirked, "... I knew she didn't like Sekhmet or Hardrock that much, but she needs to-"

"Lighten up?" Sage finished. "... She'll change her tune when it's her that has a regiment of troops down her throat. Come on... Dais? You coming?" The silent Ronin adjusted his helmet and looked at the Ancient without a word, then at Mia. He didn't look up at either Cale or Sage. He merely just vanished in a dark fuchsia light. Sage took leave through the open window. _Dais... What's gotten into you?_ Cale thought before vanishing into the dark shadows of the hallway...

*****

_My body feels hot. So hot!... I'm burning up!_ Megami thought feeling another jolt of pain pass through her. The sweat had begun to bead upon her brow and travel down her face and neck, saturating the collar of her shirt. How could it be so hot? She could only imagine what Tori was experiencing, her element being fire and all. What the hell was going on around them? She kept on hearing the cries of other warriors. Many of them did not sound human at all. She heard Kento and Sai lash out curses and weird phrases that were followed by a large quake and or waves crashing., then there were the shrieks and snarls of the two warlords pounding away at the dome Kongo held. She could feel him weakening. Her arms were growing heavy and sore, yet she hadn't even lifted them since the battle began. A low moan came from the giant minotaur as he fell to one knee. Megami, frustrated, tired, scared, and thoroughly pissed off because she had no idea what the fuck was going on, opened her eyes and with a growl stood next to her Guardian. He turned his head to her as she glared out at the two attackers. _Lady Summoner... What are you doing?... Get away from there..._ Kongo commanded tiredly, though not trying to sound that way. Megami frowned and began to shout in an outburst that stopped Raiko and Zeal in their onslaught. "NO!" she gripped the rune tightly in her hand. "Dammit! I'm not just gonna sit here and wait for, for, for-" she glanced at Raiko wondering what the hell he was gazing at and what he was, "for Fuzz Ball over there to come in here and do _god knows what_ to us while the guys are all out there killing a bunch of... of... retards in tin cans!! Dammit I wanna _help_ kill something!!" Her voice boomed over the clash of swords, screams, curses, and laughter from Kento. Anger boiled inside her until at last it was released in the form of a bright flash of orange light.

When the light subsided, she stood wearing the familiar looking black sub-armor that the Ronins wore and cloaked in a dark orange cloth. Megami fell to her rear in shock. "Duuude... I feel weeeeird!" she grinned and stood on weary legs. She felt an intense power in her hands and arms and her palms began to pulse. "Cool... Very cool..."

_Watch out!!_ Kongo warned her too late as the shield fell and Megami was hit in the stomach with a blast of dark green and black energy from Raiko. She skidded into a tree and severed it, hearing her name being screamed from her friends' throats. She pushed the giant mammoth oak off of her with ease and growled. "Now I'm gettin' maaad!" she snarled. Raiko looked back at the other girls. Domo had transformed all ready and was trying to veer off fly by soldiers that literally flew in their direction. He began to chuckle at her. "You... I do not appreciate being called a... 'fuzz ball'," he said in a dark, but friendly voice that Megami didn't quite care for.

"Why? That's what you are a giant, fuzzy, cat... _thing_," she stated calmly. "Now go clean your whiskers before I get angry..." Raiko frowned and unsheathed the giant sabre from his back. "C'mon you over grown ball of fluff'n'stuff... I never did like cats. Too stuck up and arrogant for my tastes." Raiko let loose a fear-striking roar from his throat, making lions seem like kittens. Megami screamed at him back just before he crouched to pounce on her and tear the flesh from her face. Kongo appeared and back kicked the warlord in the ribs, sending him into several trees. Megami frowned and stomped her foot, "Hey! What didja do that for?! I was doing fiiiiine!!! Hey, put me down you overgrown excuse for hamburger meat!!" Kongo had hefted the petite girl over his shoulder and carried her back to the other girls. _Stay here,_ he commanded and galloped off towards a bunch of soldiers. Megami fumed and started beating on the unconscious soldier next to them. He wasn't asleep for long and the samurai covered his head to avoid her angry blows. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!!" she snarled. Tori, Sakura, and Nasake looked at their friend, then at each other. "ARRGH! Die!" she hefted a giant boulder and threw it on the 'poor' soldier. She then wiped her hands and grinned. The girls gave her a weird look. "What?"

"Nothing," they sighed. Sakura pulled out her rune again. "Hey how did you do that?" Megami shrugged, "I dunno. I was really mad though..." Tori snarled as a samurai came up behind her and tried choking her with his arm. In a bright flash of red light, she wore the black armor and a cloak the color of bright, red rubies. She threw the samurai easily into a bunch of soldiers coming at them. Nasake gulped as she went off to beat up things. "... Tori, you, and Domo have it easy. You guys have issues though." 

"And what's that supposed to mean?!" Megami demanded.

*****

Sai huffed as the last of the soldiers fell to his Super Wave Smasher. "_God_!... There... have never been... that... many... before!" he gasped. Ryo fell to the ground with a grunt,

"Y-yeah... Ooh, ughh," He was out of shape. _No more pot stickers for me..._ He turned his head towards Dais who approached them in a run. "Hey! Wildfire! Are you all right?!" If Ryo tried hard enough, he could see Sekhmet and Cale running behind him. He felt strong arms pull him to his feet. Kento. "Ugh... Gonna... hurl..." Ryo mumbled. _What is wrong with us? We can't be that out of practice! Geez... ooh... I can feel the cereal churn..._

"Hey guys!" Tori called and ran up to them. Domo was right behind her. All the Ronins present stared at the outfit they had. "What?"

"Where did that-" Cale began, then stopped when it hit him. "No, wait. I got it. The runes gave it to you!" Sekhmet smirked,

"Careful, Cale. Don't think too much; you'll kill yourself..." The older warrior frowned and punched his arm. Sai smiled at the two girls, "Where did you two learn to fight like that?!" Tori and Domo grinned. "School," they answered happily. Tori grinned, "Mostly during lunch period, though." Sai thought it was rather weird that they sounded so proud of such a... terrible thing. So he just smiled. 

Cale slapped Ryo's back hard. "So Wildfire! Got any words of wisdom for the ladies?!" he laughed. Ryo looked sick. "Y-yeah... Never eat Rowen's cooking... _ever_!" Wildfire then fell to his knees with a drunken grin. Sai and Kento picked him up. "Ryo? Hey buddy, you alive?" Kento asked. "... No, I'm Space Cadet Ryo of the Twelfth Moon of Zarbon. Beware of the Evil Dust Bunnies From Central Venus!!... Load proton torpedoes... "

"Oh, this is jus' _lovely_," Sai huffed giving the delirious Ronin a slap to the face. "WAKE UP, RYO!! THERE ARE NO DUST BUNNIES FROM VENUS!!" Sai hollered at him. Ryo sputtered a bit, then began to stand on his own. "Ow... that hurt, man..." Sai flushed,

"Sorry." 

"Where're the others?" Kento asked.

There was a scream from Kayura for his answer.

*****

Kayura shrieked in agony as large, knifelike claws bore deep into her back, shredding the flesh clear from her spine until another powerful hand clamped hard around her throat, rendering her to whimpering gurgles. Raiko's fangs glinted in the sunlight as a grin curled on his lips. "Hmmm ... Such energy you have. The old ghoul _was_ right," he sneered. Jerking and thrashing her body around desperate to be free from the feral demon's deadly grip. She dug her own nails into his arm, drawing dark blue blood. Blood oozed from her thin lips as he squeezed her neck harder. "Now, now. That isn't nice, Kayura..." He brought her body close to him and slid his clawed hand along a breast, groping it firmly. "Mmm... Such a firm body you have," he whispered silkily into her ear and began to suck lightly upon her earlobe. His grip loosened on her neck and tore the front of her clothing open with a finger; her will to keep her armor on lost inside the searing pain her body suffered. Tears leaked from the young woman's eyes. She could do nothing in-between pain and fear. Her body was thrashed almost beyond healing and she felt so weak, her energy gone from her. Not even enough to scream anymore. Raiko then threw her onto her stomach and leered over her, running his animal like hands all over her. Kayura did not move.

She heard the chuckles of a voice she knew well, Zeal. Enemies since the beginning when Talpa first kidnapped Kayura, she hated Zeal for whoring her about within the camps of besotted and greedy soldiers hungry for a new virgin to tare into. Zeal hated Kayura for being favored by Lord Talpa. Kayura's eyes met Zeal's in a hard, but tired glare. "... You were never much of a fighter, Kayura... next to me, of course. You were better off as a whore when His Majesty found you," she said lightly. Her eyes fell on the quieter warlord, Fou-Lu. He simply stood there and spectated. His eyes were cold and merciless teal, like Anubis' once were. For some reason, he smirked at her, hate and darkness gone from his eyes. "Raiko. Desist," he commanded. Raiko's ears twitched and looked up, "What?"

"Stop. Leave the woman be." Raiko stood and opened his mouth to protest, but a flash from Fou-Lu's eyes silenced him. He stooped to lift Kayura in his arms. She could only gaze up at him. Zeal's eyes darkened. "Milord, may I ask what you are doing? She is the enemy!" she spat as her superior gave Kayura a healing boost of energy and set her to her feet. Kayura backed away from them slowly nearly tripping over the empty shell of a samurai's armor. She eyed the warlord cautiously. _Is he letting me go?_ "Why are you... helping me?" she dared to ask. Fou-Lu gave her no answer. He simply turned to face his two warriors. "Return to the castle..."

"What?!" Zeal spat in shock.

"Master Fou-Lu!"

"Do as I say!" she shouted. Kayura observed the other two physically flinch in fright of their leader's sudden outburst of anger. She took this opportunity to flee, hopefully that was what he intended to let her do.

"Anubis!" Rowen huffed as he finally caught up to the man. He doubled over to catch his breath. Anubis was equally exhausted after the raid had ended. "Don't... go up there... alone..." he finished. Rowen plopped down on the ground, a pained look on his face. "... Sorry..." the other breathed and leaned against the massive trunk of the tree. "... Are they... all gone?" Rowen asked standing up. Anubis nodded. He turned his head to the trees as he heard Hardrock crashing through. "Hey! I found 'em!!" Kento followed by everyone else gathered in the large clearing. 

"Geez Ro'... I know ya need yer sleep, but this isn't the time!" he said and lifted the younger man up by the back of his armor. Rowen groaned. His face went from pained to shock once he saw the girls in their new 'clothes'. "What th' hell are they doin' here?! It's not safe!!" Sage supported Rowen as he began to sway on his feet, Ryo was the same way and had to be held up by Dais. "Relax, Strata... They claimed more heads today than I did today. Literally."

"Ooh. Whasa matter, Rowen-kun?" Megami asked. She cupped his cheeks in her hands making him blush. "Have too much fun today?" 

"Uh, k-kinda..."

Tori began to laugh alongside Kento. He glared at them and Kento cleared his throat. "Hey, have you found Kayura? We heard her screams-" There was a rustling sound in the bushes and Kayura practically dragged herself to them. Her skin was smoking from the feral poison from Raiko. "Unn..." Kayura moaned as she collapsed just a few feet shy of them. Cale and Sekhmet moved to catch her in their arms. Nasake nearly screamed at the sight of her mangled back. Her clothing was scorched and hung from her body in shreds. Cale looked down at her, limbs shaking. She was fast, faster than all of them. Whatever did this to her made the warrior very nervous. "Kayura, what happened?!"

She murmured something intelligible in reply. Her eyes glazed over with a black film as the poison took effect. Her body began to convulse severely, causing frightened whimpers from Nasake and Megami. Sekhmet ripped of his helmet quickly. "Halo come here!" he ordered before sinking his fangs deep into her neck. Kayura's body then fell limp as Sage bent over and healed her. Sekhmet lifted the young woman gently and caressed her cheek. "... A second later and she would have been changed into a Dark Spirit," he said with relief. Domo swallowed hard,

"W-what did you do? Her wounds are-" Sakura removed her sky blue cloak and helped Sekhmet and Cale wrap her warmly. "Halo has healing powers. I can kill or cure with the venom that is inside my body," the snake man replied. "She'll be all right in a few hours." Tori shuddered, rubbing her neck nervously. "Ooh... Creepy..." Anubis tickled the back of her neck with his fingers causing Tori to scream. "Scared of snakes, are we?" he chuckled. Tori slapped his arm and glared at him, moving away from him and stood next to Ryo. "Jerk."

"Hey, quit kiddin' around Anubis," Kento frowned. He was mad that the former warlord didn't follow his own damn advice. 

Domo's head snapped up, scanning the surroundings carefully. "... Something's coming." As soon as those words left her lips, the former warlord screamed as they were being electrocuted by dark energy. Anubis, Dais, Sekhmet, and Cale crumpled to the ground trying desperately not to let their bodies give into the energy's darkness. Domo and Tori dropped down to them in an attempt to help. "Guys!" Anubis and Cale merely pushed the two away. 

"No!... Don't... you'll be...Arrgh effected... AH GODS!" Cale lashed out. The energy then stopped and left the four men breathing heavily, bodies pulsing with Nether Energy. "... Go... get back!!" Anubis warned. 

"What the fuck is going on?!" Sai snapped.

"They're... trying to control... us..." Dais gritted out, literally forcing himself to stay on the ground. "Can't we do something?!" Nasake pleaded to Ryo. 

"Just get back! This... he's tried this... before!!" Dais grunted out. Sekhmet and Cale tossed their weapons away from them. Suddenly, almost a wolf like growl resonated from the scarred warrior. With his claw he swiped at Halo from his knees. "Halo," Cale said nearly snarling. He eyes looked at Sage with hate, but then he screamed in pain and clutched his skull. "NO!... Damn it all! I.. won't let you... GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!" 

Tori screamed as Anubis choked her from behind with the handle of his kusari-gama. "Red!! What are you doing?!"

"Shut up!" he snarled, snagging her hair in his fingers. Ryo approached him slowly,

"Anubis! Stop! Look what your doing! Talpa's is trying to control you!! FIGHT BACK!" Anubis groaned as his head began to pound again. _*Kill them... kill the girl!!*_ _NO!! Never again will I listen to you!!_ Anubis shrieked loudly fell to the ground, taking Tori with him. She scrambled away from him and towards Ryo's feet, coughing. 

_Touch them with your power, summoners..._ A voice inside her head rang. Like lighting Tori and the other girls grasped the warriors heads in their heads not sure if what they heard was real. Instantly, their bodies relaxed, asleep. Tori gulped and poked Anubis in the forehead after a moment. His brow wrinkled and he sat up quickly, snatching her hand. "Stop that," he grumbled and rubbed his temples. Tori tried to pull away, still somewhat scared, his grip was hurting her. Anubis looked at her, realizing what happened. He released her quickly the numbness of shame and guilt settling in. "I-I I'm sorry," he whispered and stood. The others followed.

"Mmm... Fuck the devil!" Sekhmet snarled, his head throbbing, thankfully that he had taken off his helmet. "What... what was that?" Sai gaped, still weary when they all reached for their weapons. Dais groaned and threw his helmet down. "Talpa... He was inside my head..."

"Are... are you guys okay?" Nasake whispered as she helped Cale to his feet. Sakura removed his helmet for him, surprised that she could lift it easily. "Ugh... I think so..."

Tori swallowed hard as she picked up Anubis' weapon. As light as it looked, she could barely lift it. Cautiously, she gave him his weapon. Anubis grabbed her hand, "I... I didn't hurt you, did I?" Tori shook her head slowly and pulled away, obviously still spooked. Anubis felt awful as well as the pounding in his head. "Did any of us do anything?"

"Nah. Everything's cool," Kento replied. "How's your head feeling?" A groan, a grumble, a moan, and a loud 'fuck!' was his answer from all four men. 

Sage picked up Sekhmet's helmet and looked around. "Come on. We need to get back to the house..."

"Leaving?" an ancient voice asked from the shadows. Anubis made a snarl when he recognized it. "Come out Fou-Lu..." he ordered. Fou-Lu chuckled and emerged from the shadow, his arms folded and in his full armor. His cold eyes gleamed from his helmet, looking directly at Tori. "How did thee like mine 'Dark Circle' technique? Electrifying, yes?" he smiled. Tori swallowed hard and was surprised that Anubis pulled her back to him with his arm. 

Ryo stepped forward, "Guys, don't let him get near the girls..."

"We gotcha covered, Ryo..." Rowen said. Fou-Lu began to laugh.

"Thou must be Wildfire... A boy? Thou alone beat Talpa?!" he sneered as if it were hard to believe. Ryo felt the anger boiling. He didn't like being laughed at or to be called a boy for that matter. He had grown a lot in three years. "... No, _we_, all _nine_ of us beat Talpa and we'll do it again too..." he smiled through the anger.

"Once the Emperor as succeed in attaining Kurai, thou will not be so enthusiastic..." Kento frowned. "Man! Again with this Kurai bullshit! We'll beat whatever you guys can pull outta yer ass. You can tell ol' '_Fathead_' that were not gonna stand for anymore of his fu-"

"Hardrock, shut up," Sekhmet snapped. Fou-Lu shook his head and removed his helmet. Rowen gasped, "You... you're a-"

"Don't say it, Strata..." Anubis interrupted, remembering the first time Rowen saw him without his helmet. Fou-Lu merely smiled at the nine Ronins. He then saw the four other girls along with Tori. "... All five are here? Hmm... Talpa will be pleased... You tell thine Guardians to take care of thine precious Ronins..." His eyes then fell to Domo. "The light will be consumed by his darkness, Summoner... and you all with it!" Tori frowned.

"Go back to your master, Fou-Lu..." she ordered hoping that he would still be like he was in her dream. He sighed and stepped toward her. "How are thee slumbering at night? Wond-" Anubis thrust the blade of his weapon to Fou-Lu's neck, halting him. "Another step and I take your head..." he whispered, his arm folding around her tightly. She flushed at his strength and the way the bulk of his arm made her feel. Fou-Lu glared at him, then smiled. "I shall tell Zeal I saw thee... How pleased she will be!" Then in a burst of black flames he vanished. Anubis stood there dumbfounded. _Zeal? Alive? No... She's been dead for-_

"Red?" Tori yanked him from his thoughts. He looked down at her, resting his other arm against her. "What?"

"You can let go of me now..." she mumbled. They both blushed as he released her. Sekhmet created a portal in the air. "DUUDE!"

"How'd you do that?!" He sighed and beckoned them through,

"Come... It's dangerous here..."

Ryo stood at the spot where Fou-Lu was and looked out into the forest with a glare. Sai shook him. "Ryo? Something wrong?" He didn't answer right away. He turned around.

"Thought I heard something..."

"... Let's go. Kaos must be worried..."

*poof* Hi!! Sorry that this was soooo long.... but I needed to give some characters personality and some background stuff on Kayura. Yeah, she was a whore. Not her fault tho!! I like Kay! *dodges flames from Kayura fans* Oh well... every one's a critic, ne?

Feedback? Please? Oh did anybody catch Rowen's great power of stating the obvious at the end? I _had _to use it... Sorry to all the Rowen fans out there!

Jane minna!!


	10. Frozen Enemies, Warmed Companions

Anubi-chan's gotta improvise with helmet wear in this chapter. And will some one explain to Dais-sama who the 'jolly old elf' is? Cale-kun's being kinda mean. Oh, Sekkie fans look out and send your love to your favorite green haired manly man. Poor Sekkie.*sniffle* Oh, how much would one pay for a life size RW cat... er tiger toy? In orange? The bidding starts at 1000 ¥!!

Thank you!

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Ten: Frozen Enemies, Warmed Companions

Mia murmured softly before she opened her eyes. "... What?... Where am I?" she queried before she attempted to sit up in bed. She propped herself on her elbow and touched her forehead. A set of hands upon her shoulders forced her gently back against her pillows. "Hey, easy now." She recognized Dais' voice immediately.

"Dais... What happened?" she asked weakly, feeling dizzy again. His hand touched her forehead and he smiled. Her fever was gone. "You were in the kitchen and passed out. The boy came and got us quickly... You've been asleep for a week. We've all taken turns watching you." Mia sat up in bed with a jolt. "What?! A _week_?! Oh god!" she blustered, then moaned as she felt her head throb. Dais stroked her hair. "Sh, just rest now. You need it..." he said gently and put a glass to her lips. "Here, drink this... You'll feel better later." Mia clutched the glass in her frail hands, drinking quickly. She coughed making him chuckle softly, "Slow down, Lady Mia. It's not going anywhere!... Slowly. Drink it slowly..." Mia gasped for air as she finished.

"... Mm. What was that?" she asked with a smile. Dais bit his lip and looked down at the glass that was once filled with a deep red liquid. He was surprised that she drank it all. Now if she knew what it was... "... I-it was... cranberry juice," he lied, but felt slightly better when her face lit up. "Really? I didn't think we had any..."

_We don't... That was water and some blood from Sekhmet..._ He swallowed hard at the thought. Mia smiled softly and yawned, "I hope the house isn't a _total_ mess."

"It's not!" he said quickly. He was somewhat flustered that Mia would think they all live like heathens. "_Some_ of us aren't like Hardrock and Ryo!" Mia giggled.

"I know... and I appreciate all the help that you, Cale, and Anubis do around here. I don't know what I would do without you guys," she said kissing his cheek gently, making a blush rise to Dais' skin. He wasn't used to being praised by women who weren't under the threat of death. 

Cale cleared his throat in the doorway, "I'm not interrupting anything, am I? Mia smiled and stepped carefully out of bed. "Not at all, Cale. In fact we were just talking about you." She kissed his cheek as she left the room and into her bathroom "There now you're even!" she called over her shoulder. Dais watched her leave, then looked back at Cale and was surprised to still see him frowning at him. _What's his problem?_ "Why are you glaring at me?" Cale didn't answer, he only turned his back on him and left. "... Anubis wants us to go out on patrol with him while the girls get a lesson in battle from the others." Dais followed behind him.

"Are they ready for something like that?" he asked. Cale glanced over his shoulder, sub armor forming around him and snorted, "If you were out there watching and helping instead of staying inside all day bothering Mia, you would know, wouldn't you!?" He then vanished within the shadows as he passed under one. Dais stood and frowned for a moment. This was unlike Cale to be jealous over a woman, especially how he and the others treated them in the past. It wasn't anything like that anyway, Dais was just worried about Mia. What was wrong with being concerned about some one who took them into their house and provided them with everything even _after_ they had tried to kill her and everyone else on Earth?

*****

Kayura scratched at her neck with an annoyed groan. The itch nagged at her nerves driving her to the brink of what the younger Ronins knew as 'PMS'. "Ouu, damn it Sekhmet! Your venom makes me itch!!" she yelled up at him in the tree.

"... Fine. Then don't get frisky with Raiko again," he snapped and leapt down from the snow-covered branch. He shivered. "Damn this cold weather!"

The valley was under going insane weather patterns especially for the time of year. Last week it had been pleasantly warm. Great swimming weather. Now the temperature was below freezing and the lake was frozen with a layer of ice that was over a foot thick. The temperature was still dropping and the snow continued to fall. Anubis adjusted the dark blue winter cap Mia made him wear with an inaudible growl. The little white ball of fuzz hanging from the end was making him angry as it kept blowing in his face. Dais bit his tongue and tried not to laugh at his leader's 'misfortune'. However, Kayura began to giggle and adjusted the cap for him. "Oh, it's too bad that Strata destroyed your helmet, then you wouldn't have to where this cute little hat," she said sweetly. "Don't remind me," he grumbled as he saw the other three laughing silently behind her back. He gave them a look that would melt the ice crystals forming on their armors. Kayura sighed and yanked the cover down over his eyes, kissing his mouth gently, then skipping merrily away ahead of them. "Don't be so grumpy!" she called and hit them all with a handful of snowballs.

Anubis ripped the cap off his head and ran his armor hand through his hair angrily. "I wish she wouldn't do that!" he said in a soft growl. Dais put a hand on his shoulder. 

"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself! It's not everyday one gets... Cale, what did Wildfire call those again?"

"Uh... 'freebies'."

"Right. It's not everyday that one gets freebies from women like Kayura... Play your cards right, and you can have her in bed before you know it!" he finished in a sly whisper. Anubis flushed and stored the cap away in his armor. The flush on his cheeks from his embarrassment and rage would be enough to keep his head warm for hours. "You are one sick twisted man, Dais. You know perfectly well that I'm nothing like that!" he snapped. Cale laughed as he left the others behind to catch up to Kayura, "No, your just an innocent little elf from Santa Claus' workshop!" Dais followed him,

"Huh? Cale, who's Santa?"

Sekhmet looked behind them at the path they were taking. Anubis put his ego on hold for a moment to see what was bothering the former emperor. "What's wrong Sekhmet?" The man didn't answer and he continued to stare out into the ever-darkening forest. Slowly, he drew both of his snake-fang blades. Anubis only knew he used those swords if something was very wrong. "Sekhmet-"

"Sh!" His eyes scanned the trees carefully. His body whipped around when the brush behind them moved. Anubis armed himself and leapt back onto a stone marker. A fox scampered out and into another brush. Anubis nearly fell from the post. Sekhmet returned the blades to their place and let out a rush of captive breath. "Damned rat..."

"... You're losing your touch, Sekhmet," Anubis chucked. Sekhmet glared at him and stalked off to the others without a word. Anubis stared after him before continuing. 

_After all these years, he still holds hate for me?... I only did what I was made to do. I had no choice. I had no control over what happened that night in his castle's walls... None of us ever had control once we were caught..._

"_Black Lightning Slash!_" Anubis' head jerked up and he broke off into a full sprint towards his comrades ahead of him. He found Kayura hovering in the air... no... she was hanging onto something that couldn't be seen. She drove one of her jitte into it and was rewarded with a world-shattering screech as it threw her. Thick blood splurged from the opening and fell upon the snow, melting it instantly. Cale leapt at the invisible creature from behind and sank his claw into it's back, tarring at the hardened flesh. The creature screeched again and swatted at Cale with something that may have been a tail. He flew towards the ground and his head on a rock with a sickening smack. 

The creature's eyes glittered with an evil golden light that would have made Sekhmet's blood run cold if he was not cold-blooded all ready. Cale lifted himself from the ground with help from Dais as the figure separated itself from the night air revealing a long, serpentine body covered with thick scales and spikes. Red venom that scorched the ground drooled from the many rows of fangs in its mouth reeking with the scent of the dead. It almost seemed to smile at them, fully enjoying what it had so far accomplished. The tongue darted out quickly and it crouched onto its belly, slithering towards Sekhmet. Anubis stared at the familiar form and felt that Sekhmet knew it too. The former Warlord of Venom gaped at it as if he had seen a ghost. _No... I-it cannot be... That form- _Kayura's disgusted remark brought him back to the present. "Gods! What is that thing!?" Kayura clutched at the wound on her stomach, warm red blood escaping from her fingers. The heated fluid steamed in the cold night air along with the venom oozing from every pore and cut on the demon.

"... Looks like Wildfire's 'big ass snake'," Dais murmured. He saw the look on Sekhmet's face, then the creature's large talon come down at him knocking the warrior into a tree. "Sekhmet!!"

"_Quake With Fear_!" Anubis drove the weighted chain of his kusari-gama into the ground with a shriek and entangled the giant snake in its chains. Anubis pulled the chains taught with all of his immortal strength hoping to hold the beast while the others attacked it. "Kayura! This is the same creature the others fought!! Belly... is it's-" The creature broke the chains and lunged at Anubis with a talon, slicing the front of his armor open. Warm blood began to ooze from the openings and trickled onto the snow. Another blow to the head knocked him into the ground, breaking several ribs upon impact with several stones. He felt the poison in his veins and his vision blur as he stood.

The twisted creature had Kayura in its talon and enclosed it tightly around her until she screamed no longer. The beast dropped her body to the ground and Sekhmet caught her, avoiding the swift tail barely, giving Dais enough time to seize the creature's neck with the rope of his morning star. He leapt down from the branch and exposed the monster's neck. "CALE NOW!"

Cale unsheathed his no-dachi and drove the long blade into its belly. Like Hardrock's result, acid like blood began to spew from the wound and onto Cale. He had swiftly dashed away from the creature before he was sprayed in the eyes. His left arm was not as lucky; it began to sizzle loudly, but did not harm him. The monster screeched again and collapsed onto the blade of Cale's weapon, lying still. Suddenly, the beast convulsed and in a flash of light, it disappeared revealing a smaller creature, a young woman. Managi. She stood wearily on her legs, blood gushing freely from the hole in her chest and gashes on her head and back. 

Managi stood as straight as she could, making a fist. It began to pulse with power and she aimed it at Cale. "You... die..." He braced himself for the blast when her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell. Sekhmet took everyone by surprise when he caught her and gently held her as he fell to his knees. "Gods..." he whispered and tore off his helmet. Brushing her long black hair from her ivory neck, he sank his fangs into her neck, reviving her. "Sekhmet what are you doing?!" Dais demanded. Managi's eyes fluttered open. For a moment she lay still, then she scrambled to her feet, clutching the new wound on her neck. "Damn you..." she snarled. Sekhmet reached for her, but she backed away, dark black sub-armor forming upon her slender form "Keep away, Ronin dog..." He snapped his hand back with a muffled cry. 

"Name," Sekhmet demanded softly and stood.

"What?!" she breathed, eyeing the other Ronins carefully. 

"Give me your name!" he practically shouted, on the verge of tears, balling his fists in frustration. Anubis looked away at the two of them, ashamed. He knew the warlord and remembered where his former title originated. The past had caught him in its unforgiving hands, slowly squeezing him, smothering him, until the guilt and shame burned in the pit of his stomach. And he knew from here, his bond with Sekhmet, as small as it was, would never be the same...

Managi smiled darkly, "I am Emperor Talpa's Dark Warlord of Hatred, Managi... You may as well know the name of the woman who will claim your lives." Sekhmet's eyes widened and he approached her slowly. "M-Managi... It's me, Naotoki..." he quavered.

Dais, Cale, and Kayura watched the pair in the darkness silently. Kayura felt a lump rise in her throat as the scene played out before them. The pain in her body slowly decreased, however the pain she felt for Sekhmet grew like a weed. He had told her of his past long ago, of course under the influence of hard liquor. At any other time she was lucky enough to get the time of day from him. She felt that this was the woman he spoke of and could only watch and do nothing as his all ready shattered world of glass became dust, picked up and whisked away into the cold winter air.

Managi stared at him and moved from his grasp in which he backed off quickly. "Th-that name... I..." she began, her face almost human. _N-Naotoki... Emperor Nao-NO!_ It then turned dark. "I know not a 'Naotoki'!!" she shrieked and teleported away. Sekhmet fell to his knees and lowered his head, shoulders shaking from frustration, anger, hate, sadness, and forgotten love. Kayura slowly pulled away from Cale and touched his shoulder. He wrenched it away with a strained cry. His mouth opened wide and leaned back letting loose a demonic of pure sadness. His fangs glistened as much as the silver tears that clustered on his lashes. His voice mimicked the sound of a dying animal as he dissolved to silent tears. Kayura ignored his attempts to escape and pulled his head against her breast and stroked his hair, the only form of comfort she could offer.

It was a long while before anyone worked up the courage to speak. Sekhmet sighed heavily and gave Kayura a hidden kiss against her neck before he stood. The others waited for them patiently. Anubis didn't even look up when Cale spoke. "Sekhmet?... Are you-"

"Aye... I'm fine... Let's go." 

"... Who... How do you know that woman, Sekhmet?" Dais asked. The Ronin of Piety sighed heavily and looked up at the clouded sky, hoping to see a star, but found none, only continuous falling snow. "... She... she was my wife many, many, many years ago in my empire. I'm sure you have heard of Naotoki, the Serpent King of the Underworld." He surprisingly smiled at Cale and Dais' shocked faces. "... Talpa attacked right after our union, Anubis at his side. I had to transform into something similar to what we just fought in order to save her. Unfortunately... She was to die anyway..." He turned their back on them and saw Anubis staring at him from a distance. Sekhmet lifted his chin and looked at him intensely. "What will you do if she attacks again?" Cale asked. Sekhmet did not turn, yet he continued to look at Anubis in his eyes. "She is still my wife and I will protect her even if it means fighting Wildfire and his Inferno. I won't hesitate to kill any of you if you try to stop me. I love her, and that's all that matters..." he replied. He stiffened as Cale put a hand on his shoulder,

"C'mon uh..." he stopped for a second. "... Now that we know your name, what-"

"Sekhmet is fine. Naotoki is dead... He died a long time ago," was his soft reply and he opened a portal in the night air stepping through it.

*****

Ryo bent over backwards taking full use of his incredible limber body to dodge the fireball that Tori recently learned how to use. "Wait, whadya mean she does it all the time?" she asked almost losing her arm to a katana. Ryo shrugged and swept her feet from underneath her. She met the snow-covered ground with a thud. She didn't try to get up. "Kayura's Kayura... She does whatever she likes. I can't control her or her... hormones. What man can?!" he laughed and extended his hand to her. She took it tiredly and he pulled her to her feet. "But... dontcha get kinda mad when she makes out with you, then is all over Anubis five minutes later? Isn't that a little... I dunno... wrong?" She stepped back and armed herself with a sword of fire she created in her palm.

"... Yeah... I was angry at first, then I realized that I couldn't do anything. If she likes Anubis, fine. If she likes me, _sweet_, but I'm not gonna tell her what to do... Ken zan!" Ryo dashed past her quickly and elbowed her in the back. She fell forward and snatched his ankle before he could kick her. He pulled him to the ground and pinned him with her body. He smiled tiredly at her, "Hey... yer pretty good." Tori looked mischievous,

"Yes, but I'm even prettier when I'm _bad_." Ryo arched an eyebrow and smirked.

"If I didn't know any better... I'd say you were coming on to me."

"Too late! I all ready am!" she chirped and crouched like a cat on him. "Give up?"

"... Hmm." He smiled and gestured behind her, "Uh, look behind you..." Tori huffed and frowned. "Wildfire, my spelling may suck, my cooking skills aren't exactly nifty, and sometimes when I add three and three I get seven, but do you really think I'm that dumb to fall for_ that_?" Ryo shrugged, "No, but whatever..." Strong arms wrapped themselves around Tori's waist and hoisted her up above Kento of Hardrock's head. Tori squealed and thrashed about. "Hey Ryo, ya done with her? I need her real quick... Hey quit movin' or I'll drop you!" Tori stopped moving and winced.

"I would..." she began, "but your hand's crushing my boob!! Ow!" She saw Sai and waved at him. "Sai!! Your friend's manhandling me! Help!" 

Sai looked up and as soon as he did Nasake tackled him to the ground. Bending in ways that baffled himself, he managed to move from her grip and pin her to the ground. "Hey! You cheated!!"

"Sorry, love! I'm- I'm just a tad busy- ooh, lively lit'le thing, aren't ya? he called between squirms from Nasake. Tori whimpered and started to struggle again. "Ooh! Put me down Hardrock or you won't be able to have kids!" she screeched. Kento ignored her and slung her over his shoulder much like a sack of potatoes. "Hey Ro-_wen_! I got her!!" he sang.

"Ryo, help me? Please?" she pleaded.

"No can do Tori. I can't have you all to myself, can I?"

"Yes, yes you can! Just help me! Anything but this- EEK!" Hardrock just delivered a hard slap on the rear and ran over to Rowen. Tori glared at Ryo, but then smirked when Sakura surprised him with a water bomb. "Ugh!!! COLD!!" he yelped, freezing water intensified in the wind. "Ohh! THAT'S NOT FAIR!" he whimpered and danced frigidly.

"Kento, put 'er down. She's not a sack of food, ya know," the archer sighed.

"Yeah, but she looks good enough to eat, don't she?" he mused hitting her butt again. Strata sighed once more, "Don't let the excitement spoil your grammar, Kento." Tori flushed when he set her down. Her face then went from shy to angry. A ball of fire appeared in her hands, "... That is the last time I let you smack my ass!" Kento gulped.

Domo frowned when she lost sight of Sage. _Damn, he's quick_! She felt a sharp blow to the back and stumbled. She turned and found no one there. "ERR! Where are you?!" she demanded. "Hey, no need to shout," he said calmly from behind. Domo whipped around again before he did anything. "How the hell are you that fast?!" Sage smiled,

"... That's a secret!" he whispered. She frowned and swung at him and ended up losing her balance, falling into the snow. She snarled and swept him, taking the advantage of surprise. Sage caught himself and flipped backward before she could touch him. He laughed and leaned against the tree. "Still too slow." Domo pushed her hair back angrily.

"You know, you have just a little bit more attitude than I like..." Sage gave her a handsome smile and winked at her. "Date family trait, my dear," he chuckled and slipped by another punch. She snarled, "You're pushin' it, Date..." He had disappeared again.

"Oh, but I've just begun," he purred into her ear and swept the ground from beneath her. He caught her gracefully in his arm and gave her another one of his smiles. Domo had to blush. This was sort of the first time she had been 'swept off her feet' by a very attractive man. 'Very attractive' was her lingering thought. 

"HEY SAGE! YOU TRAININ' OR TEACHIN' HER TA _TANGO_?!" Rowen shouted smugly. Sage set her to her feet and gave his best friend an annoyed look. His annoyance soon turned to amused when he heard Kento pleading for help. Domo looked up and saw that the infamous Kento of Hardrock dangled like a fish on a hook from a very tall tree on a very high branch. Upside down no less. Tori was at the top tying the knot securely. Domo had to wonder how she had managed such a feat, or what the food loving Ronin did to deserve her wrath. She giggled and followed Sage towards the life size cat toy. The others had soon gathered for a good laugh. Kento just hung with his arms crossed and very 'not happy'.

Sai shook his head, "I _told_ you to behave yourself, but did you listen. Nope!" Kento frowned. "I was only kiddin' around... Sheesh. How was I to know she'd go ballistic on me?! Mia doesn't mind... I think..." Ryo shoved Kento and he began to swing from the branch. "Nooo!! Ryo! Stoop!! Ahhh!! Gemme dooown!! Gemme doo-oo-oown!" he cried, waving his arms frantically. "I dunno, Kento. You _do_ make a great tiger toy. Doesn't he, 'Blaze?" Tori purred and scratched the giant cat's head. Whiteblaze began to paw at Kento playfully, claws retracted, of course. Kento covered his face with a whimper, "I can't feel my feeet!!"

"Heh, neither can the rest of us!" Tori mused, pushing him again.

"Waaa!! I'm sorry! I won't hit you there again! I promise! I'll be good..." Tori made a fire blade in one hand and pulled Kento to a stop. "Weeelll.... OKAY!" She cut him down and smacked his bum rather hard for a girl. It actually hurt in the full armor! "... Next time you won't be so lucky." Kento rubbed his arm and sulked on the ground. Whiteblaze tackled him with a hundred kitty kisses in thanks for the playtime. "Ackpth! White-AUGH! Quit! Eww..."

"It's time like these I wished that I had been a little more playful with my illusions with him. Dangling by his feet... I have to write that one down."

"Don't get ink in yer eye, Mr. Hocus-Pocus..." he grumbled.

"Touché, Hardrock."

"How did training go...? Wildfire? Why are you soaked?" Cale asked.

"... _Her_." Ryo pointed to Sakura with a red face. She looked innocent. "Training was fine..."

"Any problems while transforming?"

"No... The Guardians stuck the runes inside 'em so that nothing bad happens to 'em," Rowen replied. Sakura shuddered, "Ugh... Yeah. Do not want to do that again..."

"Where's Anubis, Sekhmet, Kayura?" Sage asked.

"Uhh... There was a fairly... _dangerous _battle and they got a little banged up," Dais replied. "In more ways than one," Cale murmured.

"What happened?" Nasake asked. "What do you mean?" Both ancient warriors glanced at each other and told them what they knew. The lively bunch grew solemn. "Aw... Poor Sekhmet..." Sakura mumbled.

"And he won't hesitate to kill any one of us to protect her..." Cale finished. Ryo frowned, "This isn't good..."

"Bet Red's not feelin' too proud of himself now..." Tori murmured and looked up at one of the bedroom windows. _Do I dare and be nice today? Hmm..._

"Guys! Dinner's ready!!" Mia called from the kitchen. Megami could be seen scrambling in the kitchen to get the food ready. "MIA!! ACK! YULI! DAMMIT!" There was a loud crash.

"SORRY MEGAMI!!" When everyone looked back at each other Kento was gone.

"Figures his stomach would overpower his guilt," Sage laughed.

"That's the 'Kento of the Bottomless Pit' for ya," Rowen smirked.

"God... I hope she didn't make what I think she made," Domo groaned, thinking about what strange food Megami made this time. "Huh? What's a... meat... loaf?"

Domo just made a face.

*bam* SOLD to the white tiger for 2000 ¥! Aww... poor Sekkie! Send him hugs and love and all that good stuff! Heeey now... does anybody know what's going on in Ryo's head? Hmm... Kayura's all... promiscuous... Rekka's summoner's not.... Choices. HA! I'm NOT teeellling!! NYAAHH! *goes off to give Sekkie a big hug* 


	11. Getting To Know Your Fellow Ronin

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Eleven: "Getting To Know Your Fellow Ronin"

Yuli dropped to his knees and scrambled to clean up the mess on the kitchen floor where he and Megami had collided. The ceramic bowl that had once held Mia's delicious dinner rolls lay in varying sized shards and pieces all across the tile floor. Yuli felt the guilt wash over him and up in his eyes as he realized that he had broken Mia's _favorite_ dish. The very one that had been in her family for quite a long while to which she only used in special occasions. However, since there was more life inside her giant house than ever, everyday was a special one in its own manner. 

His face flushed as he heard Mia and Kento from behind and Megami on the floor cursing under her breath as the sharp pain in her skull where the edge of the counter and the back of her head connected. "That's what she called it, Kento. I'm not sure what's in it, but it looks yummy to me," Mia said from the dining room. Apparently, she hadn't heard the crash. Kento scratched his head in wonder, and then gasped when he saw Megami and Yuli on the ground and the mess before him. "Whoa, what the heck happened?" he asked as he circled around the mess to pick Megami up off the cold tile. Yuli seemed to be all right by means of physical pain. "Mm, ow... I didn't see Yuli when I turned around from the sink and we just crashed. I hit my head on the counter..." she hissed through the pain and clutched throbbing lump rising to the surface. She felt Kento's hand cover hers and rub it gently, "Geez, that's some bump. Better have Sage look at it," he murmured and guided her out of the kitchen. He smirked as she called to his healer friend in a most 'help me' voice. The sound of clinking glass met his ears and he remembered Yuli. 

He looked down at Yuli as he finished picking up the dinner rolls. The boy was silent for he knew what was going to come from Mia. He only hoped that Dais or Cale weren't present when it happened; they always seemed to take the side of Mia to him. "Hey, Yuli... You okay?" Kento asked and stooped down to clean up the mess while Yuli went and retrieved the rather large broom and dustpan from the pantry. He didn't answer as he tried to will the all ready too-big-broom to work as he swept the tinier pieces into the pan. _God, Mia's gonna kill me... _he thought as the tears blinded his vision. Kento took hold of the broom, but was shocked to have the boy wrench it away in a surprisingly powerful tug for his size. "Yuli..."

"... I-I got it, Kento..." he whispered and wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his forest green sweater. Kento picked up one of the larger pieces that lay in a heap on the counter beside the rolls and stiffened. _Mia's bowl... Ohh, boy..._ he thought and sighed deeply. Then Mia walked in and saw the handle of the broom working by itself. She couldn't see Yuli over the center counter top, but she did see what Kento had. "All right, what broke this time?" she said in a rather annoyed and tired voice one that made Yuli flinch. Kento hid the giant piece behind his back and moved in front of the pile of broken ceramic shards. "Uh, just a glass," he lied. Mia glared at him with a most knowing look. He gulped as her hands flew to her tiny waist before she stalked toward him. "All right what are you hiding?" she demanded.

"Nothing," he replied as calmly as he could make it. He knew it wasn't convincing, hell nothing ever sounded convincing. He was always caught when he lied. Mia frowned. Her patience was growing tired of these 'I can get away with anything' games and pushed him out of the way. She saw the light blue shards with broken, hand painted, darker blue flowers in a heap on the counter and drew her hand to her mouth. Kento heard a faint 'Oh, no' from her before she exploded. "What happened to my grandmother's bowl?! Didn't I tell you to be careful with it?!" she shouted, tears of anger rising in her teal eyes. She faced Kento and snatched the piece angrily. "Gods! Kento you are so clumsy sometimes?! Why can't you be more graceful-"

"Kento didn't break it, Mia! I did!!" Yuli practically shouted. Mia jumped and had forgotten that he was there. She turned around to face him. "I'm so sorry, Mia! It-it was an accident!! I was bringing the bread out to the table and me and Megami-sama tripped over each other!! I'm sorry!!" the boy cried. He didn't realize that Dais and Cale had entered the room. They had heard Mia's outburst. Mia said nothing, still shocked. Yuli dropped the broom and broke off into a run. He slammed into Dais and fell on his rear. "Lady Mia, what happened?" Cale asked. Yuli gasped and scrambled out of the kitchen as fast as his legs would carry him.

Finally she spoke, "... Nothing, Cale. Just an accident..."

"What did the boy do this time?" Dais sighed. Mia frowned and glared at Dais.

"You know, he has a name just like everyone else in this house! It wouldn't hurt if you would use it! He's all ready terrified of you enough as it is! Referring to him like that makes it worse!!" she snapped and went to find Yuli. Dais felt the blood of shame rush to his cheeks and left the room without a word.

Yuli sat on his bed and sniffled loudly. The carpet was strangely comforting to look at. Maybe it was the color of Sai's armor that made him feel slightly better. He was always the most understanding anyway. A soft knock at the door made him jump. "... S'open," he murmured and kicked off his house shoes. He didn't look up when the door opened. "Lady Mia's not angry at you, you know," a deep voice said softly. Yuli leapt off his bed and backed up a few steps. Dais had him cornered. He was surprised to see the older man smile gently. "You really are afraid of me, aren't you?" Yuli frowned and swallowed his fear. He realized that it was a rather large gulp.

"No." _Man... What a day I picked to be brave! ... I bet he could crush me under his foot easily! Boy Yul, you really _are_ a chicken..._ Dais lifted his chin and looked down the bridge of his nose at him. He then faked a lunge at him, making the boy fall to his rear and covering his head. "Show some back bone. I'm not going to hurt you..." he said stepping towards the bed and taking a seat. Yuli gave him a look that said, 'I don't believe you'. He sighed heavily and beckoned him over. "Come here and sit." Yuli stood and shook his head quickly. Dais grew impatient. "Come here," he said a little louder. Slowly, Yuli mustered up the courage and claimed the spot next to the Ronin. Dais scratched the back of his head. "Why... why is it that you are so terrified of me?" he asked gently. Yuli had never heard that kind of tone in his voice before, except when he was talking to Lady Kayura or Mia. Yuli shrugged. _Maybe it's cause you tried to kill everybody! Maybe it's because you leapt from the shadows of that temple to get me to get to Ryo and Sai! Gee, I dunno, Dais!!_ he thought angrily. Dais sensed this,

"You are angry at me, aren't you?" Yuli nodded and didn't look up. Dais lifted a strong hand to the boy's head and rested it gently upon his head, feeling his thoughts with the aid of his armor. _So, that's it... _He sighed again. "... That day inside the temple is what bothers you?"

"... You tried to kill Ryo and the others. Then you attacked Mia and Anubis. Mia was the only person I had for comfort when you and the others attacked. My parents are dead because of you and Talpa! Why _wouldn't_ I be angry?!" he shouted as he slipped off the bed and headed to his dresser. There was a sword on it that Sage had given to him for Christmas a year ago. He stared at it intently. Dais saw his intentions as he stood there shaking with anger. "I wish I was a little older then. Maybe then I could have..." he stopped and didn't turn around, remembering what a helpless child he was against him.

"I had no intention of harming her or you..." Yuli stiffened as Dais stepped behind him slid his hand to his back and rubbed it gently. "... You have a big heart, little one. Some warriors I've known never had nerve quite like you do... Perhaps that is one of the reasons why I didn't try to kill you when I fought Anubis. You have the potential to be a great fighter someday. Something that many of them lack... Your parents must've been proud of you."

"... Why didn't you kill Mia? Does she have potential to be a fighter too?" he asked softly. Dais placed a firm hand on the boy's shoulder and did not reply. Yuli looked up and saw a very _different_ kind of look in his eye. "Oh, I see..." he mumbled. "I won't tell..." He slipped away from him and started towards the door. "Yuli?"

"What?" Dais picked up the sword laying on the desk removed the blade.

"... I can teach you to use this properly, if you wish," he said, fingering the blade delicately. "Really?!" he gasped with a grin creeping to his face. Dais snapped the sword shut rather loudly. "Sure... There are things that I can show you that not even Cale knows."

"... Th- that'd be great."

"... Go on downstairs. Hardrock is more hungry than usual." Yuli gasped and bolted out the door. "KENTO! DON'T YOU _TOUCH_ MY FOOD!!" 

Dais sighed heavily and picked up the picture frame on Yuli's dresser. _The boy's mother and father... Damn you for making me what I am, Talpa..._

"... That was very sweet of you, Dais," Mia said from behind. The ancient man actually felt himself jump. "L-Lady Mia!" _Why didn't I detect her?! _"Just how long were you listening to us?!" he exclaimed, blushing. 

Mia just smiled at him not saying anything for the moment. He took it for himself and just gazed at her and the way her auburn hair tumbled down across her shoulders clad in the dark purple, tight knit sweater she wore. She was so beautiful. Beautiful enough that it melted his heart of ice that day he first saw her on the vision screen in the dark chambers of the throne room. That moment was the calmest he had ever been in his life. Now the perfect image that was 'Serenity' stood before him, smiling at him even after everything he had done. A smile that was so forgiving and pure of unwanted immorality. A smile that he had long waited to be on the receiving end of for so long. 

"Long enough to know that people actually listen to me around here," she mused. Dais chuckled. "I didn't want you to be upset anymore. Besides... I have been meaning to talk to him for a while... It's been nearly three years since I came. I found it disturbing that he ran off afraid every time I entered the room." Teasingly she brushed a lock of hair away from his eye patch.

"You _have_ the glare of an angry tiger, Dais. You frighten even me sometimes." He caught her hand before he even knew what he was doing. "... I don't mean to," he whispered. Mia stood on her tiptoes and kissed his is forehead. "I know. Now come on to dinner. Kento took dibs on your food."

"... One of these days I'm going to give him nightmares about food. I can do it, too..." he grumbled. Mia dragged him out of the room by his hand.

"Yes, I know. Fright is your specialty..."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

*****

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Waaaaiiit a minute! You mean to tell me that you were floating aimlessly in _space_?! NO WAY!" Nasake exclaimed from across the table to Rowen. He grinned handsomely. "Yeah... an' I don't remember _any_ of it! Ryo's the one who saved me from this giant-"

"-ball of radioactive, purple spaghetti!" Kento finished. Kaos looked at him blankly,

"... Even in danger you manage to link everything to food, don't you, Hardrock?" Kento frowned. "No! That's what it looked like!" Cale poked at the food on his plate cautiously.

"Actually, he's right. I mentioned it to Talpa before, but then he electrocuted me for making fun of the 'weapon of mass destruction that shall destroy Rowen of the armor Strata'," he mimicked in a 'Talpa' like voice. Yuli laughed,

"Hey, you sounded just like him!"

Sage set down his glass and looked at Kayura, Dais, and Cale. "So... tell us... Is Talpa really just a giant floating head with a mask that doesn't even look evil?" he inquired. The other Ronins nodded anxiously wanting to know. "Yeah, does he have like a messed up face that's all deformed and stuff?!" Ryo asked.

"Yeah right. I bet he looks like anybody else. You don't have to be hideous to be evil. I mean, Kayura was evil, but she's cute!" Sai said trying to keep a straight face, but the blush was failed to be suppressed. Kayura smiled weakly and drank the entire glass of wine she had in one nervous gulp. Cale set his fork down and gave them a blank look. "Actually... I've never seen his face... He never took off his mask, in front of us, that is." Kayura fingered the edge of her wine glass anxiously. He caught her out of the corner of his eye and looked at her in a softened shock. "Kayura?... Have _you_ seen Talpa's face?" She nodded slowly. "When?! Where?! What's he look like?!" She flushed heavily.

"I really see no need to know _where _and _when_ I saw him. The point is I saw him!" Dais' one eye bulged. "Kayura... you mean you've-" he didn't finish his sentence. _No WONDER he liked her more than us! ... Gods that must've been Hell for her..._

"... Eww," Tori and Domo mumbled. Kayura fidgeted in her chair beside Ryo. He slid his hand against hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, realizing what had happened to her. The room around her became unbearably warm and it felt like it was closing in on her. Drawing for breath she began her reply,"... His face is-"

"WHO WANTS CAKE?!" Megami called from the kitchen. Kayura bolted from the room and dashed upstairs. Kento groaned, " MAN! I wanna know if Talpa looks like an ugly ass-"

"Kento! There are children present!" Mia scolded in a harsh whisper, grabbing his arm rather painfully for a girl. Kento glanced at Yuli and Kiku who looked up at him innocently. "Heh... sorry." 

Ryo slid from his chair and took his dishes into the kitchen without a word. "Hey Ryo! Ya want some cake? It's a special recipe I made up!" Megami said with a grin in her voice. The girls gasped. "NO! Don't Ryo!!" they yelled.

"Uh... No thanks, Megami. I think I'll pass today. It's not good for the abs anyway."

"Psshh! You got abs a steel man! Geez! Didn't ya see the way Tori was lookin' at you?!"

"MEGAMI!!" Tori roared and flushed as a million 'whoos' and 'hoots' met her ears. "I'm gonna kill you!!"

"... Not tonight, Meg... Save me a piece from Kento in there though." Megami sighed as she came through the kitchen door with the cake. "Man, he looked really bummed..."

"He's just worried about Kayura..." Cale said and helped Mia clear the table. Nasake grabbed her plate away from Kento as he reached for her roll. "Hey! No!... Um, what... what exactly happened to her?" Domo's eyes bugged.

"You're kidding, right 'Sake?"

"N-no. What happened? Will she be okay?" Her girlfriends sighed heavily, giving no reply. "HEY! Answer m-"

"'Sake... You know what a harem is don't you?" Rowen asked once the others had left.

"Yeah, it's a bunch of... oh. Ohh... Okay, never mind... Will she be okay, Rowen?"

"... That's something you'll have to ask her."

*****

Tori sighed heavily as she ascended the staircase with a plate of food in her hands. She passed her grandfather on the landing as he was coming down. "Hi 'Jiisan. Is Anubis in his room? He didn't come down for supper..." Kaos smiled,

"Yes, but he's a little upset right now, mind you. Try not to fight."

"Hey, I haven't fought with him in three days!"

"Exactly..." Tori frowned. "And don't frown. An angry look from you is the last thing he needs to see." Tori flushed and passed Kaos.

She reached his room and stopped herself from knocking. She saw that Sekhmet's door was open and poked her head inside. He was asleep on his bed and hadn't even changed out of his sub armor yet. She then remembered what the others had told her. _God... What a thing to go through... Must've cried himself to sleep... Anubis has gotta be feelin' guilty too... Geez, how much trouble can a giant floating head cause?!_ she thought angrily. She set the plate down silently and crept over to his bedside and draped an afghan over him. He stirred and he dropped something in his hand. Tori bent down and picked it up. Her heart sank as she gazed at the ring made of what looked to be a type of opalescent silver, if such a metal existed. Gently she set it back in his hand and closed it. He murmured softly. "... Managi..." Tori backed away and picked up the plate, returning to her first mission. She knocked softly on the door.

"... S'open."

"Hey..." she murmured and stepped inside. Anubis turned his head away from the dark window and to the door. For a moment, she saw something in his eyes, then it was gone. Still those eyes disturbed her. 

_Fou-Lu._

Tori felt a shiver run down her spine, but shook it off. "I... I brought you, um... supper..." she whispered and set the plate down on the dresser. "Mia kinda told me that if it wasn't clean by morning that she was gonna be mad..." Anubis smirked and looked back out the window.

"... Thanks for the warning." Tori stood beside him after a moment of silence.

"What's out there?"

"... The Nether Realm. Talpa wants to merge both worlds... Doing so would be catastrophic," he replied. "Have a look." Tori stood in front of the narrow window. Her mouth dropped open. There was an ancient, dark castle set just on the rocky horizon. The sky there was a blend of dark purples, reds, golds, and midnight blues where the Earth's night sky met the Nether Realm's. The sky around the castle flashed angrily. "... It's... kinda pretty," she murmured. Anubis' eyebrows raised in disbelief. Tori flushed, "i-in a _evil_ sorta way, I mean." She returned her gaze back to the deadly horizon. Anubis sighed, "Yes, perhaps from far away... but you see all those colors?"

"Huh uh."

"... Dark energy. The same energy that tried to turn the others and I against you." Tori shuddered at the memory. Her neck could still feel the handle of his weapon choking her. 

"I apologize for what happened and what I failed to control..." he whispered and slumped against the window. Tori shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Red. I'm okay. The only thing you did was try to choke me-"

"_What?!_ Oh gods..." he pushed himself away from the window and ran his hands through his hair nervously. He plopped down on his bed and held his face in his hands. "Gods forgive me..." he murmured. 

"Anubis, you really are freaked about this," she gasped and sat next to him.

"Of course I am!... I failed to control myself when I could. I just gave up and look what happened! God, first Managi's life... now yours... I'm going to Hell for this."

"No you're not... I'm still here, aren't I?"

"I've all ready gone to Hell for what I was!" he cried. Tori jumped. So, he had lied when he had said where he had been before he was resurrected. _But why would he lie about something like that?_ she asked herself. "Why did you lie?" she asked softly. Anubis sniffled loudly and regained his composure. He felt foolish for letting his emotions get the best of him. However, this was the first time he had slipped and he had talked about this with Kaos and Mia countless times. For some reason, her presence was... no... It was just the lingering Dark energy that made him feel this way. Tori had nothing, no effect on him. "... I... I lied because I didn't want to frighten Cale, Sekhmet, or Dais... They have done this far worse than I... so..." He sighed heavily. Tori stood up and walked back to the window. "... If it's all right with you, what's... what was it like there?" Anubis stood and met her at the window.

"... Everything around you is so dark. You can't move. You can't speak. You can't stop hurting. It's cold. It's hot. It breaks, tares, cuts, stabs, rips, shocks, splits, pulls, shatters, splinters, burns, freezes, scorches, whips... Every nightmare, every fear, every worry, heartache, pain and suffering you feel in a lifetime is locked in a continuous circle of insanity and torture for all time. Everything that makes your blood run cold and brings agony to your heart is there," he whispered. Tori turned and searched for his eyes. He just stared down at her without a word. "... I can only imagine what a relief it is for you to have been give a second chance... Another chance to redeem yourself, to make this right, to start over... How on Earth did you manage to come back, I thought once you made a pact with the devil... that was it. No turning back..."

"I don't know... According to what I thought I was... 'told' down there... I was one of the most evil men alive... 'You could have been one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,' _He_ told me. 'Death' I think it was... And in a matter of speaking, Cale, Sekhmet, Dais, and myself _were_..."

"... The gods must've had pity on you. Maybe you weren't supposed to be down there. Maybe you soul was predestined. Maybe that's was Rekka said about you having the 'same light as Ryo'," she suggested.

"Perhaps..." he sighed. Tori stared out the window once more. She suddenly felt her chest grow warm; she slumped to the window as a pain shot through her chest. Anubis jumped. "What's wrong?" Tori clutched her heart, breathing hard.

"... Hurts... to breathe... Mmn..." Anubis heard frantic voices from downstairs and realized this was also happening elsewhere. Tori fell to her knees and whimpered in pain. 

_'Don't fight it. The pain will pass...'_ They looked up and saw Korin sitting on the bed. Anubis grew angry, "What's wrong with her?! What are you doing?!"

_'It's a small side effect... The rune is reacting with her heartbeat. In a moment she'll feel very dreamy.'_ Tori cried out and fell to the carpet.

"Korin!... Make it... STOP!" Tears fell from her eyes.

_'It's only Rekka... He's transferring his power to you. I cannot stop it...'_ Anubis knelt beside her touched her arms. He yanked his hands away, burning himself. "Gods! She's like fire!" Suddenly, Tori leaned up to gasp for air and collapsed back to the ground. The pain stopped. "... God, that really hurt..." she whispered and wiped lazily at her eyes. "... Mm... tired... Head feels... funny..." She attempted to sit up. "I can... barely move..." Anubis leaned over her,

"Are you all right?"

"... Mm... You have funny lookin' eyebrows..." she smiled sleepily, finally taking notice of him. Anubis chuckled and sighed, "They are no more funny looking than you, little one..."

"Yeeaahh... Wait no..." she frowned and her eyes began to droop. "Mm go 'way... I sleepy..." she yawned. Anubis sighed and carefully lifted her in his arms. Her body felt like a rag doll, but soon she clutched his shirt and buried her face in his neck. "... Mm after shave'n'... raindrops..." she mumbled as he carried her down the hall to the room her and Kayura shared. "Fou-Lu..." Anubis froze in the middle of the hallway.

_How are thee slumbering at night?_

His eyes darkened. The bastard was trying to communicate with her through her dreams. Anubis pushed the door open with his foot and entered. Kayura stood from her chair and Ryo from her bed. "Anubis, what happened?!" Ryo exclaimed. 

"Sh! She's asleep... Rekka did something to her and she fell asleep," he whispered. 

"She okay? We heard some commotion downstairs..." Ryo said, pulling her covers back as Anubis set her down gently. Tori stirred and opened her eyes again. "Ryo-kun... Hiiii..." she grinned. He smirked, "Hey... you feel okay?"

"I feeel greeaat... Hiya, Red..." Her eyes shifted to Anubis. Ryo stood and turned to Kayura. She was gone. "Kayura?... Great. She's jealous," he groaned. "Man... I'll see ya later, 'Nubis. I gotta go find Kayura before she sticks a butter knife in my head later." Anubis chuckled, "Afraid of girls now?"

"No... I just... I like her, okay?!" he flushed and ran from the room. Tori sat up,

"Is Kay maad at me?" Anubis looked at her and eased her to lie down.

"... No. Don't worry about it. Go to sleep, okay?" Tori reached up and touched his cheek. "... You'll get your Heaven, Red... Just don't give up..." she mumbled. Anubis flushed and touched her hand gently._ Thank you_. He sighed. "Go to sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

"Hm... Peachy..." She turned over and closed her eyes. He touched her arm and she thought she felt something warm and comforting enclose around her and touch the very depths of her mind before she fell into a deep sleep.

Anubis removed his hand from her shoulder and saw the mark of Loyalty fade from sight from her ivory colored skin. He sat there and watched her sleep for a while, suddenly feeling very protective of her. He yawned and pocketed his orb, feeling sleep coming to claim another victim. _Try to call out to her now, demon..._ He switched off her light and slipped out of the room and hoped that the shield he created would not fall. 

He looked up in the dark hallway and saw Kaos on the other end, giving him a long look. They stared at each other as if to read the others' thoughts. The Ancient then slipped into his room, retiring for the night. Anubis still stood and tried to figure out what it meant.


	12. A Heartbeat From An Impending Doom

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Twelve: A Heartbeat From An Impending Doom

A cold, hard stare glared back at him through the tarnished, warped surface of the ancient, golden mirror. Bleak, pale-blue eyes. So disgustingly familiar and nostalgic that he wanted to gouge them out with his own clawed hands... As if he hadn't all ready tried. His face, though slightly scarred from years of self-inflicted punishment, was the same since the day he had been freed. Since he and his alter ego had been ordered split as light and darkness. Free from the light that blinded him and cast him into a shadow of seclusion. The light that is always seen and heard.

No one ever hears the darkness. It's quiet. Unseen. It engulfs everything that light has failed to reach. Encompassing it into a blanket of cold, secluded comfort that only he ever knew. He never had a choice. Was never asked if he wanted or needed the light. _They_ just took it from him. Removed light from darkness and cast him away where no one would see, because light was always there. He hated them: the gods, humans, animals, and plants. Everything that light blessed itself with. Did it even bother with him? 

No. Never. And he didn't care... not anymore. 

They would pay. Humans, mortals and gods alike. They would pay for his exile. The exile that he never deserved. The exile that created his darkness. His prison. 

His hate and evil.

"... Master Talpa?" a woman's voice softly called. He lifted his head and reached for his mask, hesitating to return it to his face. Another glance into the mirror urged him to return it to his visage, but for some reason or another he set it down on the elaborate dresser in front of the mirror. "... Aye, what is it? I summoned no one," he replied, his deep voice lacking his usual fury and authority. He shocked himself to find that it had sounded human, something that hadn't occurred in centuries. "... I... I know, my Emperor... I wish to speak with you, if it is possible." Talpa turned and sat on his bed saying nothing for the moment. "... You may enter," he replied after several moments of silence and the occasional shrill agony of the tortured somewhere within the castle's corridors. Managi emerged from behind the pale paper screen and kneeled before him, head remaining lowered and eyes to the floor. A smile curled upon his mouth as he saw who it was. "What is it, Managi? It is well past midnight..." he said. A clawed hand set itself upon her jet hair and stroked it gently.

"... Where... where do I come from, milord? I have no recollection of anything-" Talpa pulled her upward and into his lap. Her body stiffened with his touch; strangely it was warm, not cold like it usually was.

"It is as I told you... I had found you starved and nearly dead by a riverside. You were stripped from everything except for that band you wear around your finger... Other than that I know nothing of your origin..." Managi's whole body slumped ever so slightly, disappointed.

"I... I see. Forgive me." Talpa slipped a hand underneath her chin lifting her eyes and giving her a soft smile, something that was very rare when he summoned her.

"... Your memory shall return in time." He paused and stroked her long hair in one hand before continuing. "And when it does, you are free return to your homeland... Is there anything else you wish to ask of me?" Managi turned away as he leaned in to kiss her gently.

"Sire... who... who is 'Naotoki'? I fought him and the other Ronins a few days ago... I feel like I've known him from somewhere..." Talpa's face remained emotionless; he simply sighed.

"... He was one of my warlords several years ago..."

"He said he knew me... Did he?" she looked back at him with sad eyes. Tears began to fall from them as if her body knew, but her mind forgot; they were pleading. He gently wiped them from her cheeks and shook his head. "It is not important now... He is a snake demon and will say anything to spread his seed. He is the enemy. Do you understand?" Managi nodded slowly and sniffled. Talpa cupped her cheeks in his hands and gave her a deep kiss. His hands slid her kimono from her shoulders revealing almost white-scaled skin. He removed the jeweled comb from her hair; it tumbled down her shoulders like water. Managi gasped as his fingers ran over her breasts delicately. As many times as he has come to her in the night, still she was bashful. Talpa pulled his lips away and kissed her forehead. "... Just remember one thing: No matter who you were... you belong to me and only to me," he whispered and laid her body gently onto the mattress. She nodded and felt the skin of his chest upon hers. His eyes met hers slowly. He smiled, however it quickly turned to concerned as he saw tears collecting upon her lashes of her emotionless face. Very carefully he pulled her warmly into his arms and covered her inside of his kimono. Their bodies held each other entwined, as she lay motionless against him. He felt silent tears falling onto his shoulder, but not a sound of sorrow escaped her lips. Mocha and ivory skin melted into one another as hair of ice and onyx lay tangled. 

Talpa's arms tightened around Managi as she continued to weep. Something strange was happening to him. Normally he would just ignore her distress and continue business, but tonight he felt the stab of remorse and could not. He actually felt guilty for lying to her and felt that she was entitled to the truth. He frowned and simply stroked her hair and back, wanting her to just stop those silent tears. "... Sire?"

"Aye?..." She lifted her head and slipped her hands into his white hair.

"... Do you love me?" 

Love? Could he even fathom that worthless human emotion? The expression that shone in her eyes within the dim room sent a shiver down his spine and he found himself nodding.

*****

Zeal glared into the vision flame at her former lover. _How could he? After all of those years that they had shared..._ The auburn haired man watched a sleeping form unknown to Zeal. She snarled angrily and banished the flame away feeling the years long sorrow and betrayal blur her vision. She collapsed to her knees and hugged her arms to halt her shaking. "Why? Why did you betray me, Anubis?" A shuffling of feet and the stir of dust and ash upon the stone floor caused her to startle from her simpering position.

"... Zeal. This is so unlike you..." She scrambled to her feet, fearing the ten thousand lashes she would receive if caught with any thought of treason, be it espionage or attraction to the enemy. "Raiko I-"

"Now, now pet... I understand how hard it is to forget... someone..." Raiko said with a sigh as he calmly stepped toward her. Snaking a sturdy arm around her waist, he summoned the previous flame again as he peered deep into her thoughts and aura. He smiled, "... Ah... I see. No wonder he is still within your thoughts," he purred and gazed into the flame hungrily. "Quite the prize you had... I envy you, Zeal." She looked away from him and nodded slowly. 

"... It is like trying to breathe without the air. He is... _was_ my air. I feel like I am suffocating on sorrow. Why did he betray me?" she felt her voice give way. Another heavy sigh left his lips and called yet another scene from her past.

_"Are you sure about this, milady? If hears word of this-"_

_ "Shh, shh, shh. He shall not," she giggled and removed her robe. "Now, my demon of venom," she ordered. "Take me to where not even Cruelty has pleasured me." Sekhmet chuckled deeply and sank his fangs into her neck, releasing a desirable gasp from her lips._

He banished the flame and called more until all of the former warlords had been viewed. Zeal fell silent. "Was Lord Anubis not pleasing enough for you?" Zeal tore herself away from him and snatched a wine goblet before hurling it against the wall of stone. "Gods!" she cried. "Not _pleasing_?! The man was bewitched with treacherous thoughts! He duped me _first_ with some... _child_ he snatched from one of his raids!! A mere girl of sixteen!! Only then did I betray him!" she screeched, breath ragged and heavy. Hair tangled and knotted in rage. "... I felt so much better with them. They all hated him like I did...". She caught her breath and leaned her face against the cold stone wall. "He duped me. And... when I find the little bitch... she shall wish she had burned to death with that swine she addressed as 'mother'..." Her claws sunk into the stone as tears of red coursed down her cheeks.

Raiko snuck behind her and slid his hands beneath her robe. "... There, there now Zeal. All is not lost," he whispered and touched her gently. Zeal closed her eyes and continued to silently weep.

"Shh... Look here." For the last time he called the flame. A girl who could have been her twin appeared. She was sleeping as Anubis watched her carefully. Zeal turned and gasped. Raiko pointed to the young girl, "... Is this-"

"Bitch." 

He smiled darkly and turned her. "... The Emperor has a mission for us. Care to listen?" Zeal shrugged out of her kimono and turned in his arms wiping away her tears. He smiled as she nodded slowly, "... What does he wish?"

"If you wish to gain the heart of one, you must gain the hearts of all..."

*****

"Got any fours, Hardrock?" 

"Go fish, Magic Man." Kento felt the chilling mist of the lake against his face and glanced over at Sakura with the giant water guardian, Suiko. He watched the dark haired girl wobble slightly upon the surface of the lake. The warm breeze lightly danced alongside her onyx locks with diamond beads of water drizzle around her as Suiko circled her slowly. Kento had to remind himself to breath a few times as he watched her silently.

"... Hardrock?"

"... Go fish."

"Hardrock?" Dais glanced over at Sakura, taking a stab at what the younger man was staring at. He sighed and shook his head. "Thinking those thoughts again, are you?" he chuckled after giving him a quick flick to the forehead with his armored hand. "OW! What the heck was that for?!" Dais pointed towards the topic of discussion, making Kento blush.

"You know you can't, Hardrock... We have too much at stake now..." Kento threw his cards down on the grass with the rest of the pile haphazardly. "... I know... I can still look, can't I?!"

"Yes, of course. There's nothing wrong with looking... It's becoming attached and desiring what you look that is dangerous. Women aren't something of which to tamper. They can make or break a man... Look what happened to Sekhmet," Dais explained softly. Kento shifted his eyes away from him. He frowned. "... Right. So basically what yer sayin' is that forget about ever having something that even resembles a relationship because we're all gonna die anyway! Great, Dais. Now that we've cleared things up, I'm going to go jump off a cliff-"

"Hardrock, that's not what I meant. What I meant was that if something should happen, we shouldn't get too attached to one another..."

"You know you can't stop something like that, man. When that happens it _happens_ and you can't reverse it, or prevent it, or nothing!"

"Yes, I know that, Hardrock, but-"

"_But nothin', man_! You and the others were sent here to help defend this world, not dictate how I want to live the last few moments of my life!" Kento stood and turned to watch Sakura on the lake. "Hey, calm down. I'm only trying to warn you about things that can severely damage the entire entourage if one of us loses it because our girlfriends were slaughtered! The only way to keep control of our anger is to sever some of the bonds that we hold to this world. Some sacrifices must be made, Hardrock..." Dais said gently. Kento's fists balled up at his sides as his shoulders shook in anger. "... So, basically you want us face the end of the world with nothing but a sword at our side... no friends, no family, no last minute happiness... just empty hate?..." he said softly. He turned his head away from Dais. "... Sure man... whatever you say... Just so you know: I survived the end of the world once with everything I wanted and still we kicked your ass... Sounds to me like you don't know what yer talkin' about." Before Dais could get another syllable out of his mouth, Hardrock had all ready left for the dock.

*****

"_Snake Fang Strike_!" Nasake ducked and covered her head as the attack passed over her. She fell to her knees and huddled. "Geez!! That almost hit me!" she squeaked and looked up just in time to see a giant wave crashing down on her. She coughed and gasped for air after she had securely grabbed hold of a tree branch. "H-hey! Ea-easy guys!!... Don't... don't be so rough!" Sai crouched on the branch she held and looked down at her. "... You think this is rough?" he asked with a smirk. Nasake saw the glint in his eyes and panicked. "Sai, no. Wait! It's too far do-" He stood and with the blade of his yari, he severed the branch sending her crashing to the ground where Sekhmet waited for her. He caught her gracefully. "... You have yet to know the meaning of the word 'rough', my dear..." he smirked.

"... U-um... N-now just a minute. I only-"

"Torrent! Catch!!"

"Sekhmet!!"

Domo glanced briefly at her friend who had just recently become the world's first human football. For a moment she was glad that she didn't have Sekhmet for a training partner. "Pay attention!" Sage snapped and tackled her several feet into the ground.

Only for a moment.

Domo's eyes sparked with a deep emerald, before cooling energy gathered in her hands. She snarled at the Ronin atop and kicked him over her. Sage landed flat on his back and grimaced at the throbbing pain below his stomach. "Ooh... c-cheap s-shot... Oh... ohhh... god!" Domo climbed out of the ground and saw Sage face down in the grass, groaning. Cale broke off into a run towards the two warriors. Domo was kneeling down beside him. "Oh shit, Sage! I am so sorry!" she exclaimed. A very painful moan came from the ground. 

"Gods! What happened?!" Cale demanded. He saw Halo's pathetic form and winced. "... Ooh..."

"I didn't mean to! It was a reaction! I couldn't help it! God, Sage, I'm so so so sorry!!" Sage rolled over onto his back, face dazed in pain. "... Must have been some kick if he felt _that_ through the armor..." Cale muttered. Sage whimpered. 

"... Not... a word about... this to _anyone_, o... shrouded one."

"Sage, do you want me to get some ice?! Some water?"

"Kill me pleeeease..." he pleaded. "... Oh, and I really wanted to have kids..."

"Well, Halo... Look at it this way: you can always adopt," Cale said reassuringly.

"... Which would you rather do:... _make _babies or _buy_ them with a coupon for half price at the frozen food section in the supermarket?" Sage grunted and tried to sit up. Domo removed his helmet. Cale's bugged in utter disgust, "You can do that?! That's... _sick_!!"

"Ohhnn... Domo? Find me something sharp and pointy or large and blunt... Seiji-kun's gonna take a lil' nap..." Halo said in a half daze. "Oh maaan..."

"Oh boy... This is gettin' heavy..." Megami murmured under her breath. Her arms were beginning to ache from the fifth hour of holding a giant boulder over her head.

"... So, I says 'if you think _that's_ great wait 'til later tonight'..." Rowen gave Kayura a sly grin. "... And, and, _and_-"

"Yep, did it 'til dawn!"

"Oh my!"

"What kind of training is this?! _I_ hold a frickin' two ton rock over my head for a couple of hours, and you guys are sittin' on yer asses... talking about... _that_?! Oh, _god_ this is heavy!!" Megami whimpered pitifully, arms becoming more and more numb. "Quit yer belly-achin'! It's not that heavy..." he said and lifted the giant rock from her with ease. Megami crumpled to the ground and laughed nervously. "Haaa." Her face then quickly shifted to angry. "My arms are what ache, dummy!!" she snarled. "Oh... man... I'm gonna die..." She closed her eyes and breathed hard. She then felt a swift blast of air to her face, then a low growl that wasn't at all human. She opened her eyes and saw Kongo's long bull like nose and his golden eyes leering down upon her in a most vexed way. His horns and claws looked very sharp suddenly. She quickly attempted to scramble to her feet, but failed miserably as the behemoth minotaur snagged her by an ankle and dangled her; he found her squirming a bit annoying and shook her rather roughly. "A-aa-aaa-a-a-ah!! Stop!! Eek!" He then dropped her abruptly to the grass.

_"Work now. No complaining."_

Lady Kayura swallowed hard and helped Megami to her feet as the giant beast trotted away to speculate from a distance. "... Man... who crawled up in his ass?" Megami muttered.

*****

Tori rubbed the back of her head as she followed Ryo and Anubis into the woods. She glared darkly at the back of the older Ronin who had recently given her an unpleasant and painful whap to the side of the head. That incident occurred at least an hour prior. "... Stupid, red-headed, mother... grr... Not my fault that you tripped... Grumpy old man." Rekka was perched cheerfully on her armored shoulder and happily singing. Tori turned her head and glared at the bird. "Are you always so happy? Don't you ever get angry?" she asked in a grumble. Rekka stopped singing and cocked his head.

_"Only when I am provoked,"_ he replied. _"... Sulking about what happened won't make the pain go away, you know."_

"... I know that!" she snapped. She glared at Anubis and balled up her fist tightly until it began to burn. _"Don't even think about it."_

"Come on! Pllleeaase? I won't hurt him... much."

_"I said no! Now hurry up we are falling behind!"_ Rekka took flight and went on ahead of her as she started to catch up.

Ryo wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up at the sun shining through the trees. "... Man, crazy weather we've been having. It's gotta be like a hundred degrees out here!" Anubis nodded and removed his shirt as Ryo had done earlier; the heat finally getting to him. "Aye... " He looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "... Heh heh. Look at her back there. Sulking like a pigeon. I didn't even hit her that hard," Anubis chuckled. Ryo shook his head with a grin. "You're not one to hit girls, Anubis. If you're not careful, you can really hurt her," he informed and glanced back at her. Anubis frowned,

"She's not a girl... She's more like a rabid shrew-"

"I heard that you jerk!!" Ryo winced.

"I'd watch my back if I were you. She won't let that one go, I can tell." Anubis looked back at Tori as she was catching up with them. She looked like a very pissed off cat at first glance. Anubis just shrugged and smiled smugly as she joined them. 

"So, uh... how's your head feelin', Tori?" Ryo asked as he stepped in front of her line of vision with Anubis; he hoped that she would stop glaring at him. "... Painful."

"Well, hope you feel better later. Me an' Sai were gonna go swimming after we get through at the volcano. We were hopin' that you and the other girls will wanna join us," he said with a smile. Tori's anger melted and she flushed. "... That'd be nice, Ryo. Thank you."

"Heavens, Tori! Should we head back to the house? You are looking awfully flushed," Anubis pointed out with a grin. Tori growled and trekked on ahead of the three. "Do you want to be castrated before you meet middle age?!" Rekka settled gracefully on Ryo's shoulder. Anubis chuckled. "I've all ready reached middle age!" he laughed. "Several hundred years ago!"

"I hate you!" she called angrily. Rekka sighed heavily.

_"You shouldn't be so harsh towards your peers, Anubis... Remember that Talpa and Kurai are your enemies, not her."_

"I know, I know..." he smirked as he watched her disappear over a part of the volcano that towered before them. "I was just having a bit of fun, Lord Rekka. You know how hard it is to find in difficult times like these."

"Still man. You should be a little nicer to her. She's still a teenager..." Ryo said as he started climbing the rocky hill. Anubis laughed, "Talk about calling the kettle black, Wildfire. You're barely old enough to drink responsibly!" Ryo frowned. He opened his mouth to say something in return but was cut off by an explosion above them on the ledge. 

"What the devil was that?!" Anubis demanded.

"Is the volcano erupting?!" Rekka looked upward and frowned.

_"... No."_

_*****_

"... Sage?" Domo mumbled softly. "Sage? Are you okay now?" She kneeled down next to the seemingly sleeping Ronin in the grass. The gentle, heated breeze blew his wispy, feather blonde hair across his cheek. He had been there for at least an hour and Cale has fallen asleep in the tree while Domo practiced the kata that he taught her. For over an hour she had eyed the injured Ronin carefully, nearly terrified that she may have seriously hurt him. She lightly roused him by his shoulder. "Sage? Wake up. You fell asleep." Halo groaned softly as he sat up, barely remembering what had happened earlier; however the slight throbbing between his legs gave him the unwanted reminder. He smirked slightly with one eye closed. "... You could be an all star kicker for those American football teams," he laughed softly with a yawn. Domo felt the blush of guilt and embarrassment creep across her cheeks. She wasn't sure if it was a compliment or otherwise; she didn't care as he had obviously forgiven her with a small smile. "I-I didn't mean to kick you so hard... Sorry..."

"S'okay... I'll think twice about tackling you now... Mnn. Ow... Where's Cale?" Domo pointed upward at the tree branches. 

"ZzZzZzzz... ZZZzzZZ...." 

His snoring could be heard a hundred feet below him. Sage rolled his eyes, yawning again. "... Sometimes I wonder about our former warlord friends..." Domo smirked before standing and helping Sage to his feet. He grimaced and tried standing straight. "I am really sorry, Sage..." she repeated.

"Ugh, it's okay... I just need to be more careful." She helped Sage over to a giant stone to sit, then took a place beside him. "You know I don't know a lot about you and you've been here almost a few months," Sage said. 

"Well, I've lived in Tokyo all my life. I never knew my dad 'cuz my mother was raped when she was barely out of high school, but she had my brother after she got married. I met the other girls when I got to junior high," she replied softly. She felt his eyes on her and turned a little red when she realized that she had told all of that to someone she barely knew. "... Sounds like you had a pleasant childhood," he noted with sarcasm, making her chuckle bitterly.

"You don't know the half of it..." she murmured. Sage sighed and scratched his hair.

"Well, at least your parents didn't want a girl so much that they dressed you up as one when you were in grade school..." Laughter met his ears as Domo fell off the rock she shared with Sage into loud convulsions. "Y-you... girl!? Funny!" He flushed,

"I didn't think it was so funny... Glad that chapter in my life ended early before I met the guys... If they knew about that, I would never live it down." Domo, after some time, climbed back onto the rock and wiped her eyes. "I-I'm sorry, Sage... My childhood wasn't that bad... It was in high school when it got really bad," she finished softly. Sage laid back across the rock in the sun and closed his eyes. "What happened?"

"... Well... I don't like to talk about it much, but... I was also raped like my mother. I was late coming home from school and I had to walk home... Before I knew it... the sun had gone down and... _it_ happened. Luckily, Mom made me take birth control as a precaution. Things were down hill for a while until I met Ryu..." Sage's whole body jerked ever so slightly, but not enough for her to notice. He sat up slowly. "He's you're boy friend?" He received a nod and a small smile. "... I feel a lot better when I'm around him..." She stood slowly and faced Sage. "Well, we should wake up Cale, shouldn't we?" Sage nodded slowly and stood. He thought better not to ask further about Ryu. Something in her voice made it very clear that she did not like to talk about her current beau. He winced as he stood again and looked down his jeans eyeing himself with worry. "... I hope it doesn't bruise," he murmured, flushing when he realized that he had definitely had thought out loud again. Domo's eyebrows raised in surprise and amusement. "Wow, Sage... That was more information than I needed to know," she laughed.

"It'll be your fault if I can't have children," he chuckled then winced as he laughed too hard. 

_"Apocalyptic Terror!"_ A blur of sapphire flames rocketed in between Sage and Domo, knocking both to the ground. The burning blast soared high into the air, then descended into the earth at an amazing speed. The impact caused the ground to quake massively as the burning figure erupted from the ground, snatching Domo by her throat as it took to the air once more. "Domo!" Sage scrambled to his feet, the forest green sub armor forming around him. As soon as he had gotten to his feet, his body was thrown into electrical convulsions, draining his strength. 

A hideous laugh met his ears and the blue flames dispersed, revealing Zeal still dangling an unconscious Domo by her neck. "... Let her... GO!" he choked as loud as the attack would let him. Zeal's laughter continued and she threw Domo into the ground. "Now, why would I want to do that, Halo?" she sneered and picked Domo's body out of the earth. "Pathetic..." Zeal summoned several large thorns of stone and turned her head towards Sage. "Don't let him go," she ordered. Sage turned his head and saw that he was surrounded by four others clothed in solid black, shredded robes that covered every part of their bodies. Their hands, however, were a ghastly white. _What are they?... Dark Priests? But... they're-_

"Get the fuck off of me!!!" Domo lashed out and swiped Zeal's face with her nails. The warlord shrieked and drove one of the stone thorns into her shoulder, pinning her to the earth. Zeal continued to drive the other stakes into her limbs until Domo could no longer move, only scream. Tears flowed from her eyes almost as quickly as her blood drained to the earth. Sage thrashed about and opened his mouth to cry out her name, but his words were quickly gargled by the blood that he began to cough up. "Only you are left, Korin. Then Kurai shall truly be free..." Zeal with a shout, she thrust a clawed hand into Domo's breast and tore her beating heart from her in one swift motion. Domo fell silent and gasped helplessly. 

With a shriek, Sage pulled his weak body to his feet and struggled to stand. The field intensified, but Sage held firm. His eyes fell onto Zeal who stood holding the still beating heart.

"... Armor of Halo... Tao..." he fell to one knee before he could finish. Zeal sank her foot into his stomach and cackled. "Fool... I am much stronger that Raiko or Managi." Sage pulled his palms together and threw his head back, shrieking, "CHI!!"


	13. Damage

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Thirteen: Damage

Ryo's eyes stung as the heat and ashes from the scorching woods around him gusted into his face. He and Anubis had cleared the cliff easily, however locating Tori in the inferno proved more difficult. Anubis bashed at a burning branched with the side of his arm to clear a path. "By the gods! What happened?!" Anubis hissed and stood still beside Ryo. He attempted to protect his eyes from the burning cinders floating in the breeze with his arm. "How the hell should I know?! Ah, geez... Can you see Tori anywhere? She couldn't have gotten far whatever happened to her." He squinted his eyes to see through the thick smoke. With each moment, it became more dense. So dense that burned and stung at their eyes. Anubis snarled and wiped at his eyes roughly.

"I can't see anything in this ember screen... How can an entire section of forest go up in flames in an instant!?" He felt the cause was obvious. He just wished for another reasonable explanation. Rekka fluttered from Anubis' shoulder to Ryo's. As passed by, his wings emitted a strange ruby-colored dust that settled upon their eyes. Both men found that the stinging had stopped and the pain ceased. Ryo blinked his eyes easily. "Huh? Hey what-"

_"It's only temporary..." _Rekka paused and studied the flaming surroundings carefully. His head stopped in the direction in front of them and he narrowed his eyes_. "My rune is not where I left it..."_ Rekka twisted his head sharply from left to right as if his senses had been dulled. Anubis frowned. "'Not where you left it?'... What do you mean by that?!"

_"...It means that Tori is in danger as are the rest of the young lady summoners..."_ Ryo punched a nearby tree angrily and faced Anubis. "Dammit! If you hadn't _pissed_ her off, you jerk, we wouldn't be looking for her!" he snarled. 

"ME?!" Anubis sputtered. "She's always had the urge to wander off! She is like a damned child: you have to watch her every move!" _What is his problem? I know that she's in danger, but his behavior isn't making sense!_

"Don't blame this on her! God, if anything happens... Kaos is going to fucking kill us!!" A sudden crash of falling wood startled him and snarled as he spun on his heels towards. "Tori!?" He saw nothing but fire. _I need to calm down… Deep breath Wildfire..._

"Wildfire, relax! We'll find her! Don't panic!" Anubis ordered while shaking the younger man gently by the arms. Rekka chirped harshly with an angry flap of his large wings._ "He is right. I know you are concerned with her, but losing your head will only worsen things."_ Ryo snarled again his cheeks heating slightly with anger. What was wrong with him? He had never before lost his temper so quickly. Sure he was hotheaded, however he was nothing like Kento or Rowen. 

A scream loud enough to split stone shot through the air and sent Wildfire into another frenzy. "That was Tori!" Rekka then suddenly collapsed just as Ryo took off toward the sound without a word. "Wildfire! Don't go alone!! Damn it!" Anubis followed after lifted Rekka carefully into his arms. As soon as Ryo was out of sight, the flames vanished and the forest was restored. Anubis stopped abruptly. "An... illusion??" _Not even Dais can create an illusion of this magnitude… Who is doing this?… Raiko…_

The heat increased significantly as Ryo reached the sounds of the screams. The walls of fire seemed to reach to the heavens and cover the sky from his eyes. His armor was scorching, yet he felt no additional power. _I don't feel any more powerful… It's gotta be at least a thousand degrees! It's almost hotter that Fuji!!_ He shook the sweat from his hair, wishing he could take off his helmet, as it had grown heavier.

A clamor from what sounded like laughter met his ears and he stopped still and unmoving when he found its source.

Rekka's summoner laid thrashing and writhing on the burning grass pinned and choking from the toxic fumes of the demonic smoke emanating from the fires. A black creature in tattered shrouds leered over her, speaking in a gurgled tongue. Its ghastly white claws bore into her chest, ripping and shredding the flesh out of her. It was digging inside her, smashing the bones and other vitals that were in its way. The sound of bone crunching and the shredding of flesh met his ears as others crept around them in an excited carnal manner that frightened Ryo. Finally it screeched horribly in triumph as it tore the still beating heart from her chest, raising it high above its head for the others to witness. "Tor... Oh G-god..." Ryo's widened eyes narrowed darkly and seized his twin katanas, almost ripping the sheaths from his armor. "Bastard!!" The wraith like figures' heads shot up sharply and shrieked as they took to the air and shot at Ryo like arrows. He slashed at them wildly, cleaving them as if they were simply cloth. The one that had taken her heart took to the air and simply hovered and held the dripping, spastic beating piece of flesh in its mangled hands. The shadow that was its face suddenly was adorned with two bright, deep blue glowing eyes. It gave a shrill cry and the shadows stopped abruptly. Before they were vicious creatures, now they just hovered like rags in mid air. Slowly they floated up towards the leader and began to murmur in a whispered voice, speaking demonic litanies of some kind of spell. The chanting became louder and the ground exploded around Ryo, then runs of black fire began to rip across the ground to form a shape beneath Tori and Ryo. He immediately dodged one and tumbled to Tori who lay lifeless with dead blue eyes. The flames vanished and the forest was as normal. "... I-illusion???" he stammered. The forest was silent and Ryo reached to touch her face.

Suddenly the chanting ceased and as soon as Ryo moved he was engulfed inside a flaming prison. The fire sapped his mortal and immortal strength quickly. _How can I be weakened by fire?_

"... I still do not see how Lord Talpa was defeated by this... _boy_. He can't even break out of a prison of his own element! How pathetic…" Ryo opened his eyes and saw Raiko leering over him. He had a fairly good idea of which warlord it was from the description that the others had given him. "... Damn... it! I'm... not a... child!!" Ryo spat and struggled to lift himself from the scorched ground. The heat was becoming unbearable which worried Wildfire. Why hadn't his armor absorbed the energy? Raiko laughed and beckoned his shadow warriors to him. He took the heart from the leader and held it in a crushing grip. The fire rune slid outward with a sickening, squelching noise. The shadows watched his hands eagerly, the scent of human blood driving them insane. Raiko held it to his lips and lapped the red fluid from the stone. "... Humans... they taste so sweet. Especially the women... Like ripe fruit..." Ryo snarled at him as the field vanished. He looked over at Tori behind the warrior and felt tears approaching. "Oh, how sweet... Are you going to cry over her? Pheh… You humans and your emotions…" Raiko sneered and tossed the mauled flesh to his minions. They leapt upon it greedily, shrieking and snarling like wild birds. The sounds of teeth shredding the flesh made Wildfire's stomach twist into convulsing knots. He was going to be sick.

_"Massster? Shall we waittt for Zealll?"_ one of the wraiths whispered. Ryo was surprised that they could speak. "If not can we… eat the human?" another pleaded. 

"Flesshh!!"

Raiko's tail twitched in thought. He turned his head to Tori's limp body. _I thought for sure that _he_ would be here…This isn't much fun if he isn't here… Maybe Badamon can resurrect her… I tire of Zeal and Managi…_ Raiko thought with a smile. He lifted her into his arms and was well aware of his hungry underlings' ravenous hissing.

_"Quake with Fear!!"_ Raiko dodged the hurling chains and crouched on the ground as Anubis rushed toward him slashing the air just shy of the demon's face. Rekka landed between the shadow creatures and Ryo. His size had increased to a monstrous juggernaut. He shrieked at them in warning, tongue now a stream of flame and his wings unfurling to the rival the span of the very large clearing. "... You. I should have killed you..." Raiko snarled and eyed the very large phoenix carefully. He felt the bite of the mystical metal of the kusari-gama on his neck as soon as he removed his eyes from Anubis. "Shut up," he ordered. "Put her down… NOW." Raiko grimaced as the blade drew blood and carefully set Tori to the ground. He and backed towards the angry creatures. Rekka kept them at bay. _"Move and you shall wish the flames of Hell would consume you lest you feel the wrath of mine!!"_ He snapped his beak at one and cleaved it in two. Ryo stumbled towards his armored friend and fell to his knees groaning loudly. Anubis removed Ryo's helmet. "Good Gods, Wildfire! You could have been killed!! Are you all right?!" Wildfire struggled to sit up he pointed at Tori, gaze and words lost in shock. Anubis had not quite noticed the hole in her chest. He looked at the lifeless form of the girl and made a small cry. "... D-dear me... Gods! She's... her... oh...." he fell backwards in shock, thoroughly sickened as the blood pool grew until all three were residing in it. Her eyes were an empty, dead blue, yet her cheeks were still warm and red as if no blood had left them at all. Anubis touched the young woman's cheek carefully. "... Tori??" he heard himself call. Ryo was reduced to silence and just stared at her.

A gust of frigid wind blew across the clearing as it gathered at a point where blue flames were appearing. Zeal stepped merrily out of it towards her comrade. "Raikooo! Did you get the other- _what the hell is HE doing here?!?!_" she demanded dodging Rekka's razor-like beak.

"Zeal... My dear... Did you manage to get the other stones?" Raiko asked and cautiously sidestepped the great bird to her. "Tsk. Need you ask? You know me Raiko, I…" Zeal stopped abruptly and saw Ryo and Anubis looking over Tori. 

Anubis lifted her body gently and brushed the bloody hair from her face. "An-Anubis… Kaos can help her… right?" Ryo asked. 

"I… I don't know, Wildfire," he said softly.

"… Anubis…" Zeal breathed. All the anger from her face faded and she approached him slowly. He looked up with tear-brimmed eyes. Ryo took Tori from his arms as Anubis stood. "… Y-you… You're supposed to be dead!" he cried, pushing down the sorrow in his throat. He raised his hand above him and his weapon flew to him and pointed it at Zeal. "Is this another one of your tricks, Raiko?" he snarled.

"Me? Oh no! Even _I _cannot conjure something so entertaining," he chuckled. Rekka snapped at him. _"Silence, demon before I crush your skull in my beak!"_ Zeal stepped closer to Anubis. "A-Anubis please… I'm alive again… Master Talpa gave me life once more." He halted her movement with his weapon.

"… You are no illusion?" he whispered. His arm shook unable to bear the psychological stress of the situation. Zeal nodded tearfully and smiled. "I came back for you… I'm so sorry for all that has happened…" He lowered his weapon and let it fall to the charred ground. "Truly?" he asked as she approached him slowly. Zeal reached upward and held his dirt-streaked cheek in her armored hand. "They told me you were dead…" he whispered. Tears blurred his vision and he lowered his face to hide his tears. "There now… It will be over soon, my love…" she whispered and pulled herself against him.

_"Fool! Anubis!!"_ Rekka screeched snatched the Ronin in his beak. Zeal fell to the ground. "NO! Damned beast! I will not be lead astray from my revenge!" she shrieked and launched a ball of flames at the phoenix. Rekka was struck in the side of the skull and crashed to the ground beside Wildfire with Anubis. "Rekka! Anubis!"

_"The A-ancient One…"_ Rekka warned and passed out, disappearing into a cloud of ruby-colored dust. Anubis sat up and shook the dizziness from his head. He felt the cold heat of Zeal's anger as she approached them. "… I almost had you," she murmured, her eyes and voice dark and dim, the light gone from them. "Zeal? What are you-"

"Silence!" she ordered and thrust the tip of her spear at him. "How dare you ask me? You have no right after what you did to me all those years ago."

"… 'What _I_ did'? I don't-"

"It does not matter anymore. I have gotten what I wanted," she said and held up Rekka's rune along with the others. "_She_ is dead now and you will get what you deserve when Kurai is summoned…" She glared darkly at Ryo who held Tori's limp body so close to his. "I know not how she survived all those years ago… but now she is gone and my dreams are no longer things I despise."

"Zeal? Why do you have so much hate? What has happened to you? How have you come to be this bitter?" Anubis asked, hoping for a reasonable explanation to her actions. Zeal spared him no glance. She merely turned her back. "Because of the way you treated me. Raiko… Our time is spent. The emperor wanted these by sunset…" she said softly. Raiko touched the younger woman's cheek gently. She brushed it away swiftly and hid her face from him. __

"Are you sure you want to leave this unfinished?" he asked eyeing the two confused and stunned Ronins. Zeal looked back at a thunderstruck Anubis and a lifeless woman in silence. She crouched onto the ground and disappeared in a slow wisp of blue flames. Raiko shrugged and he and the rest vanished in black fire.

Anubis sat completely bewildered on the ground. Tears escaping down his shocked face. He stood slowly and moved to the center of the clearing. He glanced around hastily utterly speechless and lost. He ran his hand through his hair roughly before collapsing to his knees in a loud roar. Wildfire jumped as he heard the ogrish blood in Loyalty's veins consume his sorrow as he howled into the sky. Very quickly, Anubis fell silent and just sat in the midst of young blood, the charred earth where Zeal had stood, and the carved ground of some ancient spell he knew nothing of. Ryo stood carefully with Tori in his arms. "… Hey… We need to get home…" he whispered softly. Anubis gathered himself to his feet and turned around silently. His eyes flooded with tears though his face was as still as stone. "The others might be in danger too…" he added. Anubis started ahead of him without a word. Ryo dismissed his armor after he did and stopped for a moment. "Anubis?" The older man turned and gave him the saddest look. "… I-I'm sorry … about… her…" Anubis turned his back and continued. "Don't worry about it, Wildfire…"

*****

"KAOS!!" Kento cried and fell to the marble floor of the hallway with Sakura limp in his arms. "Sage, Mia, Sekhmet, ANYBODY!!!!" he shrieked. He returned his worried eyes to Sakura as the rampaging of footsteps thundered down the stairs. He thought he heard the Ancient's voice and Mia's cry of shock and utter terror, but wasn't sure. All he could think about was how close he was to saving her from those... things, then being ripped away alongside Dais by more of them. All he could do was watch as Suiko screamed in agony while Sakura's heart was being torn from her. If only he had been quicker, more alert he could have saved her.

He was knocked back into reality as Dais delivered a hard slap across his face. He stared up at him in silent shock. Sakura was gone. Taken to her room no doubt to be saved... by someone else other than him. "... Dais?" The oldest Ronin studied Hardrock carefully as he sat like a stone on the hard floor, looking up at him with eyes as frightened and upset as a young child. It was then that he realized that they were still just mere children from where he came. So little they actually knew of how hard and unforgiving life was. He attempted to think of something to console the young warrior. 

He knew this would happen, but Kento had been right. _... "You know you can't stop something like that, man. When it happens it happens and you can't reverse it, or prevent it, or nothing!"_ there was nothing he could have done then or now to help Hardrock. Dais extended his hand to help the frozen Ronin to his feet; he was surprised that he took it. "... Koas-sama can help her, right?" he suddenly asked. Dais glanced up at the stairs briefly. Instead of giving him a negative answer, he felt unknown words form on his tongue as if someone or something was telling him exactly what would happen. "... Of course she'll be all right. Suiko will help her." Kento felt a small wave of relief rush over him and he smiled. "Y-yeah... she-she'll be fine."

*****

Sage leaned on the hilt of his no-dachi, breathing heavily. He coughed and dropped to his knees as the clouds of dust settled around them. After catching his breath and making sure that Zeal and the other creatures had fled, he crawled toward a very lifeless Domo. His vision was a bit blinded by the haze of dust that still lingered, however his hands met with moist, almost soaked earth. He lifted his hand to his face and peered at the blood dripping off his fingers. Finally he was able to see her face clearly. Her eyes stared wide into the cloudy sky; they were a sickly, pale green. Sage swallowed hard and attempted to collect his nerves that had just been shattered by the dead woman he liked so much. He fell backwards against a large stone and tried to keep from losing it. As many armored demons he had slaughtered and the wounds he had healed, he had never actually known anyone that had died in such a gruesome way. With a shaky hand he reached over and closed her eyes gently. He froze once he felt the warmth of her cheek._ How is this possible? Her face should be as cold as stone by now!_ "Korin!! Korin where are you?! Answer me, please, Korin!" he shouted around him. He received no answer except for the stormy winds in the trees. He shivered slightly and banished the Halo armor before picking Domo up into his arms and starting towards the house.

"Halo!!" Sage turned his head as it started to rain. Cale met him quickly from some nearby brush. The larger man started to ask what had happened but refrained when he saw Domo lifeless in Halo's arms. Sage looked away and swallowed his rising anger and sorrow. He gave Cale a calm reply to his unasked question. "… One of Talpa's new warlords surprised us… They were after Domo and Korin's rune. I was powerless to help her and I can't find Korin anywhere…" Cale saw the large blood stain growing on his friend's shirt and was silent for a moment. The rain pummeled the earth harder and Sage sneezed. "… I was surprised from behind. It was probably one of Talpa's warriors who struck me in the back of the head. I was asleep so I didn't see. I was out until just a few moments ago…" he said and rubbed the back of his skull. "… Let's return to the house… and see what we can do about her…" Sage nodded silently and followed him down the rainy path, holding Domo's body close to his.

As they returned they found several of the other Ronins in the living room still in their sub-armor. Anubis, Sekhmet, and Dais were not present. Lady Kayura and Mia were missing as well. Sai lifted his head as they entered. He saw the limp body in his friend's arms and returned his head in his arms once more, heaving a shuddering sigh. Kento rubbed his best friend's back for comfort in silence. Ryo looked over from the window at them. "… They got to the others too… Wound to the heart?" he asked. Sage nodded slowly as Cale took Domo in his arms. "Aye… I'll take her to the Ancient…" he said and headed for the stairs.

"… Damn," Rowen snarled softly and punched the wall causing Sage and Sai to jump from their spots. "… How the hell are we gonna beat Talpa now?!" 

"The same damn way we did last time! Pull out the ol' white armor and nuke his ass…" Kento muttered. Ryo sighed heavily and returned to the window beside Whiteblaze. "I don't think it'll work like that Kento… I wish it could, but then he could just come back again like last time." Sage sat beside Sai and shivered.

"What do you think Talpa wants with them?" Sai asked after lifting his head. He sat somewhat huddled and sniffled loudly before knocking back a shot of hard liquor from the tiny glass in front of him. "… Zeal had said something about Kurai… Maybe they need the runes to free him or something…" Sage said softly as he remembered what she had said. Kento lifted the bottle of liquor to take a drink but found it empty. He frowned and tossed it to the ground, eyeing a very drunk and upset Sai. "… We should ask Kaos about the runes. Like if there is some kind of spell to free Kurai or something…"

"Whatever we decide to do, we'll have to wait until he tells us what we're gonna do next," Ryo stated and stood slowly. 

"I just hope the girls are okay," Rowen murmured and sighed. 

"I wish Mia's grandpa was still alive," Kento began, "then maybe he could tell us what those black robed freaks were… I thought they were just an eviler kind of Dark Priests, but… there is just something about them that makes them different besides of what they were wearing." 

"Whatever they were… They didn't come from the Dynasty. I think that there is a darker presence we must face," Ryo said.

"That's a bloody understatement!" Sai grumbled and looked in his empty glass drunkenly. 

"Miia…" Yuli poked his head into the living room with Kiku behind him. "Hey guys, have you seen Mia anywhere?"

"Mi-san make cookies!" she smiled. Kiku toddled over to Sage and sat next to him. "Seiji-kun? Are you cold? You're shaky…" she said and held him with her tiny arms. "Yuli-san! Get Seiji-kun a blankie…" she said. Yuli looked at Ryo then dashed for the closet. He returned with one and covered him with it. "Aw man, Sage! You got blood on your shirt,"

"I… I know Yuli… I'm fine…" 

*****

Kaos sat quietly by his granddaughter's bedside, as she lay there unmoving. Sage and Kayura had used the power of the Ancient's staff and the Halo armor to repair the physical damage to their bodies; however without a heart, they could not be revived.

_Talpa has all the runes now… It's only a matter of time before he figures out how to free Kurai…_ he thought. Kaos picked up the staff that he had given to Anubis, who then had entrusted it to Lady Kayura. "… This is all that we have left of it…" he sighed heavily.

_ Kaos glanced over at his older brother silently as they sat beside one another awaiting their judgment of the Leader of the Ancients. The temple was empty of people and all was silent outside as well. Kaos turned to his brother. "Talpa? How do you think Shakujo knows who to choose to protect the Earth?" _

_ "Shakujo is just an object. The councilmen decide who will be Leader…" he answered bitterly. Kaos was shocked by his brother's harsh voice and his answer. "You don't believe Shakujo has powers? How can you say that?! We were born from it!" His older brother did not answer him directly. "I believe Shakujo has power, just no will of its own." Kaos gasped. _

_"You only want Shakujo for its physical power! You don't care about the well being of the clan or the Mortal Realm! We were born in order to keep the balance in this world and the next! We're not supposed to use it for personal gain!" he snapped. _

_"Oh, spare me! Our worlds are slowly becoming more and more consumed with hate and evil. I am going to use Shakujo to stop these demons with force. That is the only way to protect the Mortal Realm… even though Man does not deserve it…" _

_"You're lying! I can see it in your eyes that you-"_

_The Elder entered the temple with Shakujo in his hands, silencing Kaos. Both men stood quickly. "… The Shakujo staff of the Ancients is ready for you both. If you can hold Shakujo firmly in your grasp, then it had chosen you to serve as the Guardian of the Mortal Realm. If it rejects you… then of course you are not worthy of its power," the old man explained. He turned to Talpa and presented Shakujo. The younger man stepped up and reached for it slowly. Instantly the staff sparked and blasted the younger man onto his back. The rings clanged loudly and furiously. Talpa clamped his hands down over his ears and screamed as the rings split his hearing. Kaos knelt down at his older brother's side and attempted to still him. "Talpa! What is the matter!" he cried._

_ The clanging ceased and the rings stilled. Kaos aided Talpa to his feet as he calmed. "Brother, are you all right?" he asked calmly. Talpa frowned and jerked away from him. "I am fine…"_

"Kaos?" the Elder called. The younger man turned slowly and approached the staff. "It is your turn to try, young man… If Shakujo rejects you as well, then it is not yet time for a new Ancient." Kaos glanced over at his older brother Talpa silently. He then reached for the staff and grasped it firmly into his hands…

Kaos set the staff aside once more and looked outside. He could see Talpa's castle clearly on the horizon. … He fled after that. He was so angry…

"It's your fault Shakujo rejected me! You were born of light and I darkness! I didn't have the choice!… Damn you Kaos! You and the Mortal Realm shall pay for this!"

Kurai found him… and gave him a magic armor. In return, Talpa sold his soul to Kurai… He then attacked the Mortal Realm… I thought I had sealed him for good and destroyed the evilness in his armor… But the Darkness rune was lost and must have created a gap in-between dimensions…Kaos stood and balled his fists in rage. If only I had been more careful and not lost it! Then I wouldn't have had to bind myself to Talpa's seal… Damn.

"Ancient?" Anubis called from Tori's bedroom door. Kaos turned slowly as he entered. "Are… are you all right?" he asked softly. Kaos nodded silently and sat at Tori's bedside once more. He had noticed the slightly puffiness underneath the young man's eyes as Anubis sat on Tori's bed. "I think the question is: are you all right?" Kaos murmured. Anubis shrugged and pretended to be occupied with something else. The Ancient One stood slowly. "Anubis?"

"Hm?"

"… I will be leaving soon to find some answers to questions I have had… I need for you to watch over Tori for me…" Anubis sprang up quickly.

"Me? Why me? Why not Wildfire or Sekhmet? Surely you cannot trust me to-"

"I trust you Anubis because you are the only level headed one of the group that isn't controlled by his libido," Kaos chuckled. "And besides… you are like a son to me. I truly feel that you have the strength and wisdom to aid her as I would…" Anubis flushed at the older man's praise. The Ancient placed a hand upon his shoulder and looked at him closely. "… Maybe by protecting her you may learn to not hate yourself for what happened to you and Zeal so long ago," he said softly. Anubis looked at him wide-eyed, but said nothing. "Aye, I know about what happened today…" Anubis looked away in silence and shame as Kaos continued. "… I know that you won't let what happen to Zeal happen to Tori… I am counting on you, Anubis…" Anubis glanced down at Tori and sighed. "… I do not know if I can protect her like you think I can. I couldn't today and look what happened!"

"… Anubis you cannot protect her from fate… but you can from evil… All of you can…"

Tori then gasped loudly, drawing in a large breath. Her body was enveloped in a soft, faint ruby light as she settled back on to the mattress seemingly asleep. Dais then burst into the room. "Ancient, the girls they…"

"I know Dais… They will be fine in a few days. For now … let them rest and get some yourself. The road ahead will be very hard and difficult for you all…" Kaos started to follow him out of the room when he noticed Anubis sit down beside Tori and watch her silently. "Ancient?"

"Yes?"

"… When will you leave?"

"… I do not know for certain… Just know that it could be within the next five minutes or a few weeks from now. I will return, rest assure…"

"What about Kiku?" Anubis looked up for an answer but the Ancient had all ready left down the hall. He looked back down at Tori. For some reason he felt the sorrow from earlier return to him as he watched her sleep. Her sleeping face comforted him; however at the same time it tore his heart to pieces.


	14. Out of the Blue

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Fourteen: Out of the Blue

"Good… Very good… Wonderful, my warriors! At last a group that does exactly what they are told!" Talpa laughed and fingered each glistening rune delicately. He looked over at Fou-Lu who stood aside with the last one. "Fou-Lu, bring me the last rune. At last I can be free and travel to the Mortal Realm," he laughed. _My dear brother… Your days of Man's guardian will soon be over… You will experience the eras of darkness along with your precious human race, and I! _I_ shall walk in the light!_ Managi approached the throne and stood alongside the other warlords. "My Emperor?" she asked softly.

"What is it, my dear?" The gentleness in his voice caused her to blush faintly. She lowered her head and swallowed hard. "… What will happen now? What good do the runes do now that you have them?" Talpa laid the runes out one by one in front of them and walked his armored fingers down the length of the table. "I shall destroy them… That monk used these very stones to banish me in darkness. Once they break… I shall be free," he replied and scooped them all into a pile. Fou-Lu approached the table and picked up the rune of water, examined it, then the rune of earth. He frowned. "My Emperor… Thy do realize that these runes do not harbor the Guardians, yes?" Talpa chuckled. "Yes… I know. They have been empty for quite awhile. They are but mere vessels for them. Because of all the darkness here… they fled-"

"-inside those girls!!" Zeal gasped and banged her fist upon the table. "Damn the gods! She is still alive!!" she shrieked. Raiko placed his clawed hands gently upon her shoulders. "Calm down now, milady… This proposes _new_ opportunities…" he said against her ear. Zeal growled and swallowed her anger, growing silent. Talpa nodded.

"Aye… They are inside those girls, but it is not the Guardians that trap me… It is their own prison that is one with mine…" He placed the runes into a small black, velvet satchel and pulled the string taught to close it. He turned to a darker corner of the throne room. "Badamon! Come forth!"

There was a frozen breeze and a whirlwind of light blue embers before the old priest appeared. His hands were hidden in the long sleeves of his robe as he bowed to his emperor. "You summoned me?" Talpa tossed the bag to him swiftly; he almost dropped it. "Make me an oni… using those… _all_ of them," Talpa said. Badamon looked at him wide eyed. "A-an oni?"

"Yes… The most evil and largest one you can conjure. I want it just strong enough so that not even Hariel's Inferno will have an easy task defeating it… Better yet make another one also… I have a job for Fou-Lu that will require some distraction on our part to complete it…" Badamon opened the bag slowly and peered inside. His face brightened evilly. "Ohh! Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho! Yes, your Majesty! He, he, he, he, oh, ho, ho!" he cackled and disappeared into the darkness, his laughter still echoing inside the throne room. "Insane old ghoul…" Zeal muttered. "I am going to rest a while…" she announced. She felt Raiko's tail block her path and run along the inside of her leg. She snatched it violently, then crushed it in her armored grip and shoved it away after he let out a pathetic whine. "_Alone_," she said angrily. Raiko held his tail protectively.

"That hurt!" he snarled. 

"Of course it hurt," she snapped as she vanished in blue fire to her room. Raiko whimpered softly and examined his tail. "I think she broke it…" He froze when Managi took it gently and smoothed down the tousled fur with her hands. "She didn't mean it, Raiko-sama… I heard about what happened earlier. She is just stressed," she explained softly. Raiko stayed silent with a slight blush on his cheeks. No one had ever paid him any kindness before now. It felt strange to him that she appeared to do this without wanting anything done for her in return. "… This kindness you express… it does not fit you, Managi of the Hatred…" he murmured. She did not respond; she gently let his tail slip from her fingers. 

"Fou-Lu… This is what I would like for you to do for me once Badamon has completed his task," Talpa explained. 

Eleven elaborately carved figures of white marble appeared upon the table. Each one accurately portrayed each of the Ronins and the two Ancients. Another appeared. It was larger, black, and hideously disfigured. "Take one oni with you… and attack the Ronins. _You_ are not to touch _them._" Fou-Lu watched his master move the oni towards ten of the eleven figures. He then tossed the one left to him; Fou-Lu caught it with one hand. "_That_ is your mission," he finished darkly. Fou-Lu peered at the figurine and said nothing. He simply shattered the figurine in his armored hand and let the dust burn in his palm. "What of the other one?" he asked slowly. Talpa turned to Raiko and chuckled. 

"… That, I shall leave to _you_." 

"Very well, Sire… This shall be most fun…" the feline replied. "What of the others? Shall we kill them too?" Raiko asked.

"Nay… Their time to die has not yet come to pass," Fou-Lu answered. "Remember, there art two of the oni demons. We just need to keep them… occupied," he finished with a smile. Both warlords disappeared after taking their leave of Talpa. 

Managi stepped forward to the table and picked up one of the figurines: Sekhmet. She peered at it silently. "Master Talpa?"

"Aye?"

"How soon will Lord Fou-Lu and Raiko leave?" she asked and set the statue aside. She picked another up, Halo, and examined it with care. "Within the next few earth days. I want them completely surprised. Just when they think everything has settled down they shall have quite the exercise. Oh… I cannot wait for that day! This is much too entertaining!" Talpa cackled and banished the display. She approached the throne as Talpa sat upon it. Managi smiled darkly, "Of course, Master… How I wish I could go and see it happen…" she began and knelt beside him, running a slender finger along his throat. Talpa murmured pleasurably. "I… suppose you may spy on them until then. It will be informative to know when exactly the perfect time shall be. Go Managi… cause some damage too…" he said with a smile in his voice.

"Oh, Master… Must I go? I shall very much like to… please you more…" she breathed and toyed with the clasp upon his belt. Talpa chuckled darkly. "Later, my dear…" Managi stood slowly and kissed the side of Talpa's mask slowly.

"Humbly, milord…" and she disappeared into a gust of dark, red rose petals.

"Raiko…" The feral warlord reappeared before him almost instantly. "Keep an eye on her. Her loyalty is wavering…" he said. 

"Of course," Raiko answered. 

*****

The former Warlord of Venom leaned against the doorframe of the room of the summoners Kongo and Suiko. They lay on their beds in a mystical state of sleep. Neither of them appeared to breathe or move. They just lay there, wrapped in a blanket of warm light that was a cozy orange or calm blue. He was indeed surprised that they still managed to survive. He had his own experiences of being tortured, stabbed, burned, skewered, and a few organs removed, but never anything vital as his heart. He was out for years on some occasions after that. It had been nearly a week since they were slaughtered within an inch of their lives. The glow that they had all accumulated had given him and the others a bit of hope that they would soon awake. The only thing that troubled Sekhmet was how the Ancient One was behaving. Kaos had not seemed surprised of this at all, but rather dazed when anyone approached to talk to him.

He glanced at Sakura who appeared dead, however her cheeks were still deep with color. _What the devil did they want with their hearts?… A rune does them no good without the summoner or its guardian,_ he thought. He sat at the edge of Megami's bed and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. Immediately he pulled it back: dust and dirt lightly coated his skin. "… Soil?" he murmured in askance, then moved toward Sakura, touching her cheek lightly as well. He frowned when his hand met with wet instead of dry skin; it didn't even look wet. _Dirt and water? I wonder if the others know of this… Tenku, Rekka, and Korin's must have a similar effect._ He concluded that Nasake's skin would emit a breeze, Korin's a brighter light, and Rekka's would scorch. _This is SO weird!_

"Sekh?" Kento asked at the door, "What are ya doin', man?" He entered the room as Sekhmet stood slowly. "I, uh… nothing, Hardrock…" He glanced at his hand again, remaining silent. "Whatever… I came to give ya relief. It's my turn to watch 'em."

"Right." Sekhmet agreed and padded down the hallway without a second glance. He passed by Tori and Kayura's room. He stopped still when he saw Anubis watching Rekka like a hawk.

Anubis sat at the edge of her bed and just watched her sleep. From where Sekhmet stood, the young girl appeared to be experiencing a nightmare. Her brow shone in the soft light of her lamp from the appearing sweat. Anubis slowly went to reach for the young girl's cheek. Sekhmet was about to stop him from getting burned when the younger man cupped her cheek gently and stroked the skin. A murmur floated faintly from her lips and she turned her head into his hand more. Slowly she began to calm. A soft smile curled upon the younger warrior's lips and he began to speak softly to her. "That's it… Calm down…" he whispered softly. He slid his hand hesitantly into hers and clutched it gently, sighing heavily, "I… shouldn't have said those things to you. It's my fault that you ended up like this. Had it not been for me we could have had a chance to prevent this from happening…" Anubis lifted her hand with both of his and leaned on his knees, holding her hand to his face. He fell silent and sighed heavily. He bowed his head against her hand and began to murmur to himself something that Sekhmet's ears could not hear. After a moment, he spoke again. "Kaos gave me the responsibility to protect you… He said he's leaving… He doesn't know where or when he'll be leaving or when he'll return… I am supposed to act in his stead until then…" he paused. "You can't even hear me, can you?" he asked with another sigh. Once more he fell silent and remained in the chair beside her, taking no notice of Sekhmet.

The older warrior quietly removed himself and continued down the hall, completely baffled by his comrade's odd behavior. This was so out of character for Anubis! The warrior that he knew was vulgar, arrogant, and very cruel to the others on occasion. The others believed that it was because of his adjustment to a brighter life from what he was. The man was half-human after all. They knew that it was only that way to defend himself. He had experienced for over several hundred years a great deal of teasing and hazing from the other warlords. Some of which left him weak and unable to move for days. He had finally lashed out at them when he couldn't handle it anymore. 

A confrontation that left them wary of his behavior and as Talpa's right hand man… 

Yet Sekhmet failed to see the kind nature in him. To him, Anubis was still very much the same as he was when they were under Talpa's command. The only thing different was his outlook on life and that he had become very solitary since he had been resurrected. 

He also found it hard to believe that he had made it into Heaven so easily…

Sekhmet still had a dark and unpleasant spot on his heart for the former Warlord of Cruelty. A spot that was still taking centuries to even begin to heal. No matter how many times the younger man had apologized for what had happened, Sekhmet could not forgive him. It wasn't in his nature any longer to hold such a horrid grudge, but it wasn't his life alone. Sekhmet felt that if he had forgiven him, he would have betrayed Managi's memory. And now that she had returned, showing some evidence that she definitely remembered him, the anger and thirst for some kind of revenge and redemption was even stronger now. If something wasn't done on either of their parts, he was going to shrivel up in insanity.

Sekhmet slowly descended the staircase and saw Kaos at its base. He gave the warrior a most knowing look. "Are they still asleep?" he asked. Sekhmet nodded slowly.

"Yes. But… when I touched Suiko and Kongo's skin, they felt like water and earth… What in the world is going on, Ancient? No demon or other creature that I have seen has ever had characteristics like these…" 

"… Don't worry so much about it, Sekhmet," he reassured, " I am sure that it is perfectly normal for something like this." Sekhmet fell silent. "… What is bothering you, Sekhmet?" he suddenly asked. Sekhmet opened his mouth to answer, but was hesitant for a moment. Kaos glanced up at the stairs as Anubis descended slowly. Before he looked back at the troubled warrior, he had all ready taken leave out the front door. Anubis watched his older comrade's back get farther and farther away as it moved down the stone path to the back yard. "… He won't ever forgive me, will he, Ancient?" he asked softly. 

"Give it time… You have plenty of it." Anubis turned to give his mentor a very confused look at his cryptic reply, but found no one there. "I hate it when he does that…" He leaned on his arm at the door and debated whether or not he should follow Sekhmet.

*****

Sai towel dried his hair as he sat on the dock waiting for Rowen to finish his laps. Things had become so quiet and frankly boring that all there was to do was swim, read, or sleep. He stretched out on the weathered, sunny dock and closed his eyes. _How can a week go by so slowly? … I wonder if they are in any pain?_ Sai thought and looked over at Rowen who appeared to be finished. The younger man gasped for air as he emerged from the water. "… How th' heck… are you so… fast?!" he gasped and climbed up beside him. Sai rolled his eyes. "The same reason you are on land. You're faster than Cale when you're angry… If it's any consolation to ya, my aim is worse than an'thing, he laughed. Rowen roughly dried his shaggy blue hair and chuckled. "Yeah… You throw like a girl sometimes."

"I do not!" Sai protested, flushing. He sat up and draped the towel around his neck with a sigh. Rowen slicked his hair back. "What's up? Yer not your cheery self…"

"I don't like the feeling I'm getting. I keep having these horrible feelings. They're so bad that they disrupt my meditation… Even when I'm swimming I can't concentrate. I'm worried about th' girls too."

"They'll be all right. C'mon, these ain't yer normal girls. I don't think I ever met anyone that can shoot a bow as well as I can and that's sayin' somethin'!"

"Or anyone that can make food as well as I can…" Sai mumbled.

A fish jumped out of the water and dove in again. Then another. Then another. Rowen stood up. "The hell's wrong with th' fish?" Sai followed him slowly and remained silent. He frowned. "… C'mon…" he said and dug into the pocket of his trunks. He grasped the yoroi crystal and summoned his armor. He was actually grateful for the increase of power that they had received from the Ancient a few days after the girls were attacked. Now he didn't have to call his full armor. He could summon it instantly just like the Kayura and the rest. Frankly, screaming out the armor's name bothered him. It was way too dramatic for his liking.

"Where we goin'?"

"Down there…" Sai replied. Rowen followed his friend in armor. Before he jumped in he saw Sekhmet out of the corner of his eye across the lake. _Where the hell is he goin'?_ he thought and dove in after Sai. 

It got darker and colder the farther they swam. Every now and then a fish would dart in front of him angrily, then proceed to be as annoying as it could. Sai several times had to calm the aquatic inhibitors down so that his friend could swim in peace. 

Rowen latched onto Sai's foot to grab his attention. It was getting too dark too see and he still hadn't explained what the heck they were doing. Rowen pointed to his eyes, then above him towards the surface. Sai nodded and removed his yari. He paused for a second, then it emitted a gentle blue light. Sai motioned for him to follow again.

_I didn't think the lake was this deep!_ Rowen thought. He was about to turn back when he saw a pale blue light farther ahead of them. As they swam closer the form of the sea serpent, Suiko appeared. A bubble-like structure surrounded her sleeping form. Sai and Rowen entered it and they were able to stand up right; there was also air. Sai removed his helmet and stared up towards the surface. There was no light. "We are down farther that I thought," he said. 

"How did you know this was down here?!"

"The fish told me."

"… I swear. You're gonna marry a fish one of these days…" Sai knelt beside Suiko and touched her scales gently. She stirred and lifted her head with a yawn. "Oh shit! You woke it up!!" Rowen exclaimed. Suiko blinked sleepily at Sai. Then she looked at Rowen. _"Huh? Oh… visitors!"_

"See she's not mad," Sai smiled and wiped his cheek as Suiko licked him.

"She??" Suiko unraveled her coils and yawned again.

_"Ronins, what brings you here?"_ she asked Rowen. He backed away slowly. There was one thing that he didn't like. Snakes. Suiko approached him more slowly and faked a lunge at him. He stumbled onto his back. _"Strata? Why didn't you say that you were afraid of snakes?"_ she asked and closed her eyes. Her body started to glow bright blue. Very slowly, her snake form disappeared and she shrank considerably. The light subsided and she stood straight. 

"She… she _is_ a girl!" _She's a babe!!_ Rowen's face flushed, as Suiko helped him to his feet. Her eyes were the deepest sea blue. She was a very dainty and tiny woman, looking as old as maybe Megami or Sakura. Her hair looked very much like Cale's wild haircut as it had the likeness of a peacock's feathers only dark blue and black. Her raiment was decked in the prettiest aquamarines he had ever seen, as the thin blue silk molded to every curve on her body. Rowen looked at Sai and said. "… This," he began. "is _very_ cool." His friend rolled his eyes and stepped toward Suiko who was just slightly shorter than he was. Suiko yawned again and smiled. "There! Now I can actually _talk_ to you! Korin says I shouldn't do this. It makes us weaker somehow."

"How is Sakura?" Sai asked. Suiko yawned.

"Mnn… She's fine! She should be awake now since you woke me up. Tenku and Kongo should be awake too…" she replied with a sweet smile.

"What about Tori and Domo?" Rowen asked.

"Hmm… Rekka-sama and Korin said that they were different. They had other things to take care of besides their wounds," she said softly. "They were really messed up." Suiko sighed and looked upwards. "Talpa has our runes, doesn't he?" The two Ronins answered her with silence. "… Don't worry about it. It's just glass. My brother can't get out until all of them are destroyed and the-oop! I can't tell you that either. Darn it… Things would be a lot easier too!" she grumbled. 

"Umm… Suiko?" Rowen began.

"Yeah?"

"… What's up with the way you talk?"

"Huh?"

"Yer not all 'prim an' proper' like the others."

"Ohh!!!" she laughed.

*****

Sekhmet touched the trunk of the large pine and sighed. Three evenly spaced slash marks, signifying claws, vandalized the giant tree. He turned and leaned against it observing the surrounding clearing. Snapped bodies of smaller birches and dogwoods hung from their sturdier foundations like torn flesh ripped from the bone. Shattered pieces of stone, quartz, and granite carpeted the grassy floor. Sekhmet closed his eyes and recalled the events that led to this disaster area.

_"Name," he demanded softly and stood._

_ "What?!" she breathed, eyeing the other Ronins carefully._

_ "Give me your name!" he practically shouted, on the verge of tears, balling his fists in frustration._

_ "I am Emperor Talpa's Dark Warlord of Hatred, Managi… You may as well know the name of the woman whom will claim your lives."_

_ "M-Managi… It's me, Naotoki…" he quavered softly._

_ "I… I know not a 'Naotoki'!!" she shrieked and teleported away._

He ran his hands roughly through his hair and grit his teeth to will his tears back were they belonged. _Gods… Managi…_ He rested his head against the trunk and remained silent. The scent of roses tickled his nose as a soft breeze blew gently through the clearing. His muscles tightened and he opened his eyes too late to see a prison of coils binding his arms at his sides, rendering him defenseless without his armor. He flexed his arms to break his bondage, but just breathing caused sharp thorns to bite into his flesh. "Struggling will only make those bonds tighter… Suffocating to death is not a pleasant way to go I hear…" said a soft, yet hardened voice of a woman. He snapped his head up and froze. "… It's… It's you…" he breathed, falling to his knees.

Managi sat upon an un-shattered boulder several feet from him. "We meet again…" she snipped and stood slowly. Sekhmet looked away quickly and closed his eyes. _Pull it together, man! She's not the same woman… Managi is dead…_ he told himself. He gasped as she lifted a hand to his cheek and turned him to face her. He had not noticed her kneel before him. "You are very queer, Ronin… You shed tears for your enemy…" she said softly and wiped his cheeks gently.

"I am not you enemy!" he defended just sort of a cry. Managi's hands snapped back to her and she stared at him blankly. She suddenly struck him as hard as she could. He groaned angrily in pain, yet when he looked at her again his eyes were nowhere near fierce and angry. She backhanded him again and again, until blood trickled from his lip. Still Sekhmet did not get angry. He spat blood away from her. "Ow… May I ask why you keep doing that besides you hating my existence of course?" he asked and leaned against the tree. "That last one really hurt…" he mumbled.

"Stop making fun!" she ordered. Sekhmet lowered his eyes.

"I-I… Forgive me…" he said softly. Managi found his eyes.

"You _do_ speak the truth… I hit you and you did not anger…" she thought aloud. Sekhmet's eyes widened. "Of course I would not get angry at you," he murmured.

"Why is that?" He opened his mouth to answer honestly, but closed his mouth for a moment. "You… wouldn't believe me if I told you," he whispered softly. 

"Oh, that's right. You think I am your long lost love, don't you?" she asked with an annoyed sigh. Sekhmet's cheeks heated and he looked away, hurt. "What do you want? If you have come to kill me, then do it, because just sitting here watching my life fall to pieces is agonizing," he said. Managi stood and turned her back and pulled an object from around her neck. "Tell me, Ronin-"

"Please… Don't call me that…" he begged softly. "Sekhmet."

"What?"

"… My… my name…" he replied.

"… Sekhmet," she began, "This… lover of yours… were you two married?" she asked softly. Her face softened as she peering into the opalescence of her ring. She had a vague memory of where she obtained it. "… Yes. She… had a ring that was as strong as any metal, yet it was the color of an opal, her favorite stone," he replied. "I have one just like it." Managi froze and pocketed the ring. She kneeled before him once more. She saw a small chain peeking out over his collar and reached into his shirt. She pulled his ring out and stared at it. _What… How is this-_ "Who are you?" she breathed and backed away. Sekhmet saw the shocked look on her face. He pulled himself to his feet and stood as strong as he could. "… You… know who I am, Managi… You can't remember anything, can you? You have no recollection of your origin, your birth date, or even the scars on your back. Tell me I am wrong, because if I am, then I can at least rest easier knowing that _my_ Managi… is resting peacefully in a place I long for…" Managi straightened and turned her back. "I… I came to warn you…"

"What?"

"… My master… he's after your Ancients. He means to kill them to free himself and Kurai… He's making an oni using your summoners' runes," she said and turned around. She extended her arm and the coils loosened, flying to her waist, and draping around it like a belt. Sekhmet rubbed his bleeding arms. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked softly. He stepped toward her and snatched her hand quickly "Do you know what happens to traitors? It's ten-thousand lashes with a burning chain and-"

"-two days nailed to a cross… Yes… I know of this." She glanced at his wrists of that punishment. She had heard of the rebelled commander who defiled Talpa and survived that ordeal. Only one man had. She swallowed hard and pulled her hands. He did not let her loose. "Let go."

"… Why are you warning me?" he asked.

"I… I… must go."

"Tell me!" he pleaded.

"…This Kurai has bewitched my master… You Ronins must stop him from reviving him… I do not like the darkness that has fallen… My master is not as kind as he was when he found me… "

"And?"

"… This… 'Naotoki' I…" she tried pulling herself away again, but found her strength gone for some reason. His hand touched her cheek and his mouth claimed hers gently. She stiffened briefly, but before she relaxed he released her. Sekhmet smiled at her softly as the dark rose petals began to gather. He grabbed her again gently and kissed her deeply. She found herself returning it timidly. He broke it off abruptly. "For next time," he whispered. She swallowed hard and nodded slowly. She was gone in the next gust of wind.

Sekhmet stood there for a moment and closed his eyes, hoping and praying that Talpa would not learn of her treachery. 

He left the clearing with a soft smile on his face. One that would stay for a long time…

*****

Managi appeared into her room and she sat on her bed slowly. She ran her hands through her hair nervously. _What… what is wrong with me? Should Master find out about this... Gods…_

"I truly enjoyed that little scene, Managi… And I am certain that His Excellency will find it most… informative…" She turned and froze. Raiko stood at her doorway.

"Raiko! You must not!!" she pleaded. The Warlord of Chaos slipped to her bedside and shoved her down on it roughly. He snatched her wrists and held them in a crushing grip. She whimpered and began to struggle. "Let me go!!" He silenced her with his mouth. She cried out as his fangs dug into her lips. Tears leaked from her eyes, as he ripped her kimono open, sinking his claws into the softness of her breast. "Unless you want Milord Talpa to discover your treachery… I suggest you do exactly as I say…"

"Raiko, please! I implore you… let me alone… I just wanted-" Raiko backhanded her and banished his clothes. "… Shut up… or you will not live to see 'him' again…" he snarled. Managi whimpered as he thrust himself deeply into her. She cried out with each one as it ripped through her like a knife.


	15. Leaves, Petals, and Thorns

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Fifteen: Leaves, Petals, and Thorns

Kento of Hardrock stretched sleepily and yawned as he woke up from the unexpected nap he fell into. "Aw… man. Mmm, I fell asleep… Hope nobody saw. Mia would have a cow… again." He stood up and looked over at Megami and Sakura's beds to make sure that they were all right. He stood there for a moment and looked at the now _empty_ beds. "Hm, they're gone…" he said with another yawn, not thinking anything of it. There was a pause. Then reality smacked him in the face hard as if he had been slapped upside the head with a fish and after the brawl in the middle of the marketplace he went with Mia one time; he unfortunately knew what that was like. "OH SHIT! MIA!!!" he exclaimed and was downstairs faster than his stomach would have gotten him. He burst into the kitchen.

"Mia, Mia, Mia!!! They're gone! I fell asleep and woke up and…"

"Hi Kento-kun…" Megami greeted with a yawn. "Want some?" She held up a half of a chocolate Pop-tart sleepily and munched on the other half. Sakura smiled at him. "Mia isn't here, Kento. I think she's outside with Dais, Cale, and the kids… Is there something wrong?" she asked and stood from her seat beside Megami. Kento swallowed hard and yanked the smaller woman into his arms without a word. He held her against his chest and buried his face into her hair. Sakura gasped when he began to shake slightly. "… God… I thought…" he mumbled. Megami felt her face get hot as she watched them and put her dishes in the sink. Sakura felt his grip loosen and he stepped away from her slowly, regaining the composure of the renowned 'party animal'. "Sorry 'bout that…" he said softly. He cleared his throat. "I was just worried about you two…" he added. He surprised Megami with a bear hug from behind. He lifted her off the ground and grinned when she squeaked in terror. "K-Kento!!!" He put her down and saw her hold her robe closed. He flushed when he saw more skin than intended. "… Not wearin' much, are ya?" he laughed. Megami flushed and looked away not expecting him to embrace her more gently. She squeaked suddenly. "… You girls have got to be more careful around here," he said softly. He pulled away slowly and left the kitchen. Sakura swallowed hard. "…W-well… That was different." She saw Megami's flushed, but angry face. "What's wrong?"

"He just grabbed my ass!" she frowned.

"O-oh."

*****

Nasake yawned as she attempted to descend the staircase accurately. Her mind was completely somewhere else. Even after her shower, her body felt like lead. There was the banging of the back screen door, thundering of feet, then nothing. _Mmm, what wazzat? _she thought. 

"'Sake!" She yawned in the direction of her name and blinked. She saw a blue-topped body race up toward her and yank her off her feet. _Whas goin' on? _She looked up and saw a clearer Rowen. "Mmm… Whazzap, Rowen-kun… Zzz." Rowen flushed as he realized that she had just fallen asleep standing up in his arms. Sai laughed loudly. "Never thought I would see th' day when you'd bore a girl to sleep!"

"Bite me!" he snapped. Nasake awoke for the second time that morning. 

"Huh?… Hello…" she flushed and stood straight with a yawn. "What happened? I feel like I've been hit by a bus…" she mumbled. Sai met them at the staircase and took her by the hand. "C'mon, love. Let's get some food in you and th' other girls first before you all pass out!" Rowen felt Nasake being pulled away and reflexively held her still. 

"Wait a sec, man! Ya can't rush food into someone! Ya want her ta throw it up?" Nasake yawned again and pulled away from both boys as she sleepily descended the stairs. "Mmmn… I'm gonna go ge'some juice," she said in a very slurred voice. She pushed the kitchen door open and ambled inside. "'Mornin' girlies…" she yawned.

"Hi, 'Sake!"

"Wanna Pop-tart?"

"Ack! Tenku's awake too?!" Cale exclaimed after a crash in the kitchen.

"Ow, Cale-kun… Don't hug me so hard…"

"Sorry."

Sai glanced at Rowen who had a dazed smirk on his face. He nudged him and descended. "All right. I'll try not to show off my cooking in front of her…" he said. Rowen blinked and flushed. "HEY! Jus' what th' hell's that supposed ta mean?!"

"You tell me… It's your hormones, not mine."

"What_ever_, man!"

*****

Mia brushed the hair out of her face as she kneeled in a bed of fresh earth that she tilled with the help of Cale and Dais. Strangely, the two men had been over competitive lately. This morning, for instance, the incident with the hose, she had gotten completely soaked from that. Afterwards, the lifting of the potted plants; they had unloaded Kento's truck faster than the younger five had in the previous summer. Cale had gone back into the house, so the minor quarreling had stopped. Dais was still outside, but he was on the other side of the garden. He had gone over there to sulk after she had heard him call Cale a very nasty little name that she would not repeat. He went of grumbling under his breath, as Cale strutted proudly to and from the truck to retrieve and replace potted plants. 

She planted the last of the tulip bulbs and _hoped_ that Talpa would leave the weather as is. It was bad enough that she had to go to and from the neighboring village, but the money she spent on some of these plants was too much. If the temperature rose or fell unnaturally again, Mia would find a more efficient way to use a shovel. She sat on her heels and stretched. Bits of dirt fell from her gloves and her jean overalls were streaked with grass stains and dirt, not to mention still damp from the recent _shower_ she had again that day. She glanced to the side of her and saw another stock of tulips that she didn't see. "Ohh, noo… My back's killing me…" she groaned to herself and stood up, brushing off her legs. She stretched and turned to see Dais still hard at work. She raised an eyebrow and shook her head, as he struggled with a stubborn weed._ Weeding isn't his strong suit, _she thought with a smile. She shielded her eyes from the sun and looked upward. The sun was still high in the sky and it was getting quite warm. 

Dais' hair clung to his neck and back as he worked diligently. He constantly had to push it out of the way, making his work time twice as long. She laughed to herself. He looked rather strange with a pair of sunglasses on, even though he had only one eye.

"… Damn weed… What were they thinking when they created this world??" he said to himself as he cut it free with a knife. "… _We_ didn't have these… 'weeds'."

"Dais? They'll keep growing back if you do it that way…" Mia said, as she peered over his shoulder. Her long braid tickled his bare back, which made him feel very nervous all of a sudden. He turned his head and saw the smiling woman kneel beside him and carefully pull the rest of the root system, after calmly unburying it from the ground. "See? Now it's harder for them to grow back. These things always kill my roses every year…" she sighed and tossed it into a bucket. Dais sat in the dirt with a sigh of relief and slight groan. "… This is hard work, my lady!" he laughed. Mia flushed and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Yep and I did this all by myself! It was a lot easier once the guys started living here. I could get twice as much work done…" she said proudly. 

Dais stood and looked up at the sky. "Looks like rain…"

"What?! Ohh noo!!! Never fails!" she frowned and kicked over the bucket of tools. "Damn it to hell!" she snapped. Dais held her arms firmly to calm her.

"Now, now, Lady Mia. There's nothing to worry about!" he reassured. "Anubis and I installed a drainage system a few days ago like you asked, remember?" Mia blinked and stood still for a moment. "O-oh… That's right…" she mumbled and blushed, as she realized her behavior was quite unnecessary. 

Dais chuckled and hefted a bag of extra dirt onto his shoulder. Mia watched him on his way to the greenhouse. "Dais!" she called and ran up to catch him. He turned and set the bag down. "Yes?"

"U-um… thank you for your help today…" she murmured softly. Dais blushed lightly and removed his sunglasses. "Don't mention," he began before it started pouring. He snatched her wrist and led her inside the greenhouse. "Great! Dirty and wet again!" she laughed. Dais slicked his hair out of his face. "What? You look good wet."

"Shut up," she giggled. Dais laughed and found and removed a cloth from his back pocket. He extended his hand under a stream of water from the roof. "Dais, what are you-"

"Hold still," he ordered. He gently wiped the dirt streaks from her cheeks with one hand and held her close with the other. "There!" he beamed. Mia flushed and looked outside. "Well, looks like we're stuck for a while. It's good walk back to the house…" Dais glanced around the greenhouse and raised an eyebrow. "Well… Some of these plants need tending to. We've got nothing better to do, I guess…" Mia glanced back at the house and sighed. "You have your armor, don't you?"

"The only kind of protection," he replied and began to clear off a table. Mia blushed furiously. "P-Pardon?!"

"The armor. It's for protection. What did you think I… _Lady Mia_!" he laughed at revelation. "That's _quite_ the imagination you have! Now, if you meant that, well, then of course I-"

"Dais!" Mia sat on the old wicker chair beside the table and attempted to clear away some of the dead foliage of the other plants as he laughter continued. A quick and very _different_ kind of thought flashed into her mind and she paused slightly in her work. _Now, wait a minute, Koji… This isn't the kind of thing you should be thinking about. Still… life has been pretty sucky these couple of years. It wouldn't work out anyway… He'll be gone and you'll be back teaching those kids…_ Mia sat up and sighed heavily. She had forgotten how unfair life was.

*****

Talpa sat up in his chamber. It was late and he knew not the hour and sleep had evaded him. The torches were dimly lit as he slid out of bed and pulled on his robe. He had the strangest urge to go into the garden. He had fought with it for at least an hour and finally gave into the nagging feeling. He saw his mask on the bedside table and stared at it briefly, before leaving it there. _… I need a walk._ He slipped out of his room, unnoticed by his sleeping sentries. He made a note to replace them in the morning. He paused at one of his warlords' rooms. He chuckled to himself. _Never a silent night in Raiko's room, I see…_ he thought and continued on. He noticed that Managi's room was unlocked and he peered into it. He had not seen her when she returned from her mission to the other side. Raiko had informed him that she had not been feeling well and claimed that it was the constant passing to and from worlds that sapped her strength. Oddly enough, that sounded truthful, yet it had been almost a fortnight in mortal time since then. Talpa pushed open the chamber door and found it empty not to his surprise. _…Out after dark? What the devil are they hiding from me?_ He shut the door and hoped that he would find the missing female in the garden. After all, it was her favorite place in the whole castle. He would usually find her there. In the mean time, he would look in on Badamon and his progress with the oni.

"No, no, no!! I said for them to all be in one, _one_ of them!! Take them out and set that one loose in the dungeon. Fools!! Fools all of you!" The old ghoul hurled several urns of herbs at his worker-priests. "Now we have to start all over again!! Ooh, Talpa is going to kill me… _again_!" Badamon moaned and clutched his head. "Well, only one must be ready for Milord's attack. He doesn't need two just yet…" 

"Badamon? What are you doing?" Talpa asked from behind. The ancient priest flipped through several books frantically. "Not now! I must finish this before Master uses my entrails for lion feed! Ooh dear, oh dear… what to do, what to do?!" he whined and dumped an entire pot of black dust into the large cauldron that stood several feet short of the tall castle ceiling. 

"But you are dead!" Talpa chuckled. Badamon floated back to his table and searched again for something else. "Oh… yes… I keep forgetting that… Blast that Raiko!! I told him that drug was dangerous!! Not my fault if _it_ falls off! Serves the beast right… Oh… Poor Empress… I need to find those herbs she wanted. Pity, pity…" he murmured with a sigh. "… HEY!! Suzuna!!" he called over the railing where behind his table stood. 

"WHAT?!" replied a very large female ogre woman. She was pretty in a plain sort of way. Her long, black braid fell over her left shoulder as she shoveled more coal into the giant flame over which the cauldron hung. "Did you get those herbs Lady Managi asked for?!"

"YEAH!" She hurled the sack at him. Badamon moved to catch it. He caught it, but the force of the object caused him to ram back first into the wall of stone. A shelf collapsed on top of him. "Ow… Giant woman…" he muttered and lifted himself up. He frowned and pulled a shard of glass from his rear. He looked down at the broken shelf. "Messy, messy, messy…" and proceed to clean it up. "Oh, look! My lucky rat tail!" he chuckled and pocketed it in his robe.

"Badamon? Are the oni about done?" Talpa asked again and watched his servant in amusement. Badamon glanced up at Talpa with no idea who that the man was that was bugging him. "The oni!!" he exclaimed and dropped everything in his hands. "Where are my herbs?!"

"DOWN HERE, SIR," Suzuna said lowly.

"WHY?! Hmm… At this rate I'll only get the normal one done… or maybe the runic one?? Hey! Quit lagging down there!! Or do you want to all be thrown into the abyss!?" Badamon sat down slumped into a chair and rubbed his head. "Master works me too hard…" he mumbled.

"Badamon," Talpa began again with a wry smirk, "how goes the oni project?"

"Hm? Oh… you again. I should have a least one done by morning. They mixed the runes separately into each one… Stupid, stupid little… Hmm… Master only needs one for now. Making two at the same time will weaken us and who knows if those blasted little Ronins and their harem fighters will come and kill us all?! On top of that, Milady Managi… ohh horrible, horrible thing Raiko did! Blackmail… Damn, _damn_ cat!" he grumbled and began to throw the sack of herbs into a mortar and pedestal to grind them. He mashed them angrily. Talpa frowned.

"What happened to her?"

"Terrible, just terrible… Made her lie with him. He clawed her nearly to death in his pleasure. I didn't tell Master, for he would worry and forget the mission: to live in the light and dark; to be the one who holds the human weapon of the gods. Master is not bad… just mistreated at an early age…" the old man continued to ramble about Talpa's mistreatment as a child and the lack of praise that he should have received. "I only want what is best for My Lady and Lord… Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk…"

"Where is she now?"

"Huh? Oh… must be in the garden. I must finish my tasks before Master punishes me…" he sighed heavily. He stopped grinding and floated away with another urn of some herb of his. Talpa slipped out of the laboratory and proceeded to the garden.

Managi sat at the edge of the goldfish pond in the center of the garden and stared at the moon in the water. She touched the surface gently and an image appeared. She smiled softly as the scene from the Mortal Realm played out in front of her. It was from earlier this evening.

_"So, Sekhmet… Are you sure about what she told you?" Cale asked as he sat on the roof of the house. Kento sighed heavily and yawned. "Yeah, man… We've been watching for Talpa for two weeks and plus Tori 'n' Domo haven't woken up yet!" Sekhmet sighed heavily. "I am positive. Besides, do you want to risk losing the Ancient and Lady Kayura? We can't afford those losses. If they both die, then this whole world will be at the mercy of Nether magic. Magic that can change an infant into a starving demon that devours it's own mother…" Kento made a face._

_ "Dude… That wasn't cool."_

Managi giggled softly at Hardrock's comment. She had been spying on them frequently and grew more and more interested in mortal ways. Yet she hadn't quite grasped the idea of 'Nintendo' or 'microwave' yet. Still, it looked very entertaining. But she did not want to betray her Emperor. He had shown her such kindness that no one she knew in this world had experienced. She sighed heavily and continued to watch the man whose kiss had stirred up memories that she didn't know she had. She rested her chin on her knees and felt tears gather in her eyes. She wanted to be with all of them, but she couldn't leave either. _What's wrong with me? I shouldn't be thinking these thoughts… But why won't it stop hurting?_ she asked herself. 

_"Naotoki."_

Talpa stepped past the gates of the fishpond and stood watching Managi. He saw the image in the pond and confirmed his suspicions. Silently he approached her and realized that she was crying. She rarely cried openly. "Managi. What are you doing out of your room at this hour?" he asked and sat beside her. She gasped and banished the window from the pool. "M-my Emperor!" she exclaimed weakly and dried her eyes. "I-I'm… That is," she stuttered. Talpa chuckled.

"Come now, dear. I am not angry, only a little concerned of my favorite warrior. I haven't seen you. You don't answer my summons," he said. Managi sniffled and swallowed hard, thinking back to what Raiko had said. "I… I was weakened in my travels to and from the other side."

"Lying will only get you killed," he warned. Managi drew in a quick breath and felt tears of fear come to her eyes. She remained silent. "What did Raiko say to you?" he asked and pulled her to her feet. She stumbled. She hadn't recovered fully from the constant raping she endured every night. Luckily for her Zeal was in an extra greedy mood. "S-sire?" Talpa pulled the sides of her silk robe from her shoulders roughly. She whimpered in pain. Old and fresh claw marks covered her shoulders, neck, and breasts. He saw a few fang marks on her arms and neck that still oozed blood. He noted where Badamon had tried to heal some of her more severe wounds, but Raiko had purposely reopened those. She felt stiff and shook violently, afraid that he would want the same thing Raiko did. Talpa inspected her further and more gently than before. Her wounds continued further all over her body even to the inside of her, he guessed judging by the heavy bloodstains on her robe. It was black so it was hard to tell, but he could smell it.

"Who did this to you? Is this why you haven't been answering me?" she cried softly and gave no reply. "Who. Did. This?"

"… Master Raiko," she sobbed in a whisper. Talpa frowned. He was her _only _master… very gently he covered her once more and was careful not to reopen any of her wounds. He wondered what lead her to let someone like Raiko have his way with her like that… unless it was something that she could not control. She stood there in his grasp, trembling like a frightened animal. He had never seen this amount of fear expressed from her in centuries. "… Why?" was the only question that he could choose. Managi lowered her head and let out a short sob. "I… I cannot tell you, My Emperor… for I fear my punishment…"

"Tell me now or shall I find out from Raiko?" he asked sternly. 

"…The Ronins… they know of the oni that is coming for their Ancients… I… I told the one they call Sekhmet, sire…" she whimpered and stiffened her body for the pain that was not going to follow. "How much do they know?

"O-only that… their Ancients are in danger and that their summoners' runes will be what powers the beast…" she replied and dropped to her knees, bowing pleadingly. "I told them because I believe that this Kurai had tricked you! There is a darkness that is coming should we succeed. I was only thinking of you, Milord! I do not want you to be at this beast's mercy! He is evil… Please, believe me, sire!!" she pleaded in tears. Talpa felt her claw at his robe as he looked over to the pond. "How many did you say were coming?"

"… One, Milord…" she gasped. Talpa smiled to himself. "… I am ready for whatever punishment you have… I should die as a traitor… but I was always loyal to you." Talpa bent down and lifted her from the ground.

"There is no punishment. You have suffered and endured enough pain all ready…" he said softly. Managi froze at the kindness in his voice. He sounded very much like Kaos… They even looked alike… Managi nodded slowly and wiped her cheeks. "Y-yes. O-of course, sire…"

He stood slowly and gazed at the pool. "You… are beginning to remember things, aren't you?"

"… Some… Only names and a few memories are in my mind. I get such a headache after a while…" Talpa looked up at the moon.

"I told you that I would let you return to your place of origin if you remembered, didn't I?"

"Y-yes…" Talpa tuned and approached her slowly. She gasped and grimaced when he cupped her cheek. Blood trickled from an opened wound. "Well then… it appears that I shall have to let you go, won't I?"

"Sire?" she gasped. He leaned over gently and kissed her forehead.

"Go to Badamon. He has those herbs you wanted, and then come to my chamber. You'll be much safer in there."

"Yes, sire…" She gave him a small smile and hurried away to the laboratory. Talpa watched her go and then turned to the pond again. Very calmly he approached the tree and stared up at it. He turned his back to it and swiftly caught Fou-Lu by the neck. "I don't like it when I am being spied on, Fou-Lu," he stated firmly. He had the man pinned to the tree rather hard and clutched his neck in an almost choking grip. "You tell your Master that I will not tolerate such behavior in my domain. Raiko will be severely punished for his crimes: endangering the empire by weakening her army, inflicting harm to a superior officer, stealing from his Emperor, and above all withholding vital information from me…" Talpa released Fou-Lu.

"For… Forgive me… I was also worried about Lady Managi… Mine Master shall know of his treachery…" he replied as he immediately fell to one knee. Talpa nodded slowly. "Good. Are you ready for tomorrow? You know what to do?"

"Aye… and Raiko?"

"The other Ancient shall have the blessing of life a little longer. She has not angered me as much as Kaos… Zeal shall take care of that…"

"Of course…" Talpa stood silently for a moment and just looked at Fou-Lu before vanishing into the shadows. Fou-Lu frowned darkly and stared at the water. "Managi is a danger to us, Master," he said.

Dark, deep blue eyes peered faintly from the depths. _"Let her be… They shall all perish. Ronin and Warlord alike. Talpa will be very… relieved that the Ronins will die quite soon…"_ Fou-Lu grinned darkly and disappeared.

*****

Sweet. Chewy and crunchy at the same time. Small yet there were so many in number._ I love cereal!_ Cale mused as he padded down the hallway to look for Mia. He held a box of yellowish spheres of crunchy, sugarcoated bits, in which he ate them by the handful. He passed by Tori's room and stopped. Anubis was in there looking in on her as usual. "Still asleep?" he asked. Anubis glanced up from her form and nodded.

"Aye… Kaos said that she should have awakened by now. Has Korin risen?"

"No… Halo and Strata have been watching her too. Plus this whole thing with 'an oni of doom' doesn't make things easier," he replied. Anubis sighed heavily.

"I had forgotten about that. Is he still acting like a zombie?"

"He's been meditating since three nights ago. I don't think he'll get up anytime soon."

"Where is he?"

"His room… It's locked." Cale ate another handful of cereal. Anubis glanced at the box. "You're actually eating that??" Cale looked hurt.

"What's wrong with what I'm eating? It's good!" he smiled. 

"Have you read the box?? Do you have any idea what…" he paused and peered at the side. "…'riboflavin' and 'dextrose' are?"

"No. But Mia and Kongo said it's good for you!"

"If they told you dirt was good for you, I bet you would eat it too."

"No I wouldn't."

"And why not?"

"Because I know dirt isn't good for you…" he replied calmly and left the room. Anubis shook his head and sighed heavily. _Idiot_. He looked back at Tori and touched her forehead. He remembered the dead look she had. Her eyes were empty and cold. It still sent shivers down his spine thinking about it. 

"ANUBIS!" Cale scrambled into the room again. The box of cereal was gone and he had some of it in his hair. He stumbled and fell to the ground. "Cale? What's wrong?"

"They're… they're here!!"

_I bet you can't guess what kind of cereal Cale was eating!_


	16. Battle Fallen Angel: Part One of Two

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Sixteen: Battle Fallen Angel

Part One of Two

Kiku scribbled away onto a piece of white paper with a blue crayon while Yuli played his video game vigorously. "Go, go, go, go!!! C'mon- Ha ha! Gotcha!"

_"Finish him!"_

"All right! Who's the man?! Whose-"

_"Fatality… Reptile wins."_

"WHAT?! Hey, that's not fair!!!" Yuli yelled and pounded the table. Kiku looked up at him. "Yuli-san?"

"… What, Kiku?" he replied gruffly.

"Can I play?" she asked and sat down next to him. Yuli blinked and looked at the screen. "I dunno, Kiku… It's really hard."

"I wanna play!" she snapped and folded her arms. Yuli shrugged and handed her the controller. "Okay, Kiku, but it's really hard…" he warned. She smiled when he gave her the controller. _I can't watch this…_ he thought and stood to go. "I'm gonna go get a snack. I'll be back."

"'Kay!" she called as she selected Raiden. Strangely, he looked like Kaos. 

He entered the kitchen and saw Dais and Mia having dome kind of baking-flour fight. They and the kitchen were covered in flour. Yuli stood there in the doorway and stared at them as they froze when they saw the boy. Dais had Mia by the wrists with one hand and a very full bag of flour in the other over her head. It was like that for several moments before Yuli calmly opened the pantry door, entered, rummaged around for a few seconds, and then left the smaller room. He looked back at them before leaving. "… You guys are weird," he stated and left. 

Dais shook the flour from his hair and coughed as he accidentally inhaled it. Mia silently brushed herself off. Whiteblaze growled softly as he shook himself free of the powder. He sneezed several times and gave the pair a strange look, before leaving after Yuli who had taken an entire package of Oreo's. Mia placed her hands on her hips and sighed heavily. "What a mess…"

"You better help me clean this up," Dais said.

"What?! You started it!" she giggled. 

"No I didn't. You did." Mia threw a handful of the white powder at him.

"Now I did."

"WHAT THE HECK?!" Yuli yelled from the other room. Dais and Mia came scrambling out of the kitchen. They found Yuli standing on the sofa with a very angry expression. Kiku on the other hand was jumping up and down, laughing. "Yuli, what happened?" Mia asked. Dais looked at the red letters on the television and laughed.

_"Flawless victory. Raiden wins."_

"Oh, that is so _not_ cool! How the heck can she do that?! She's only four!!" Yuli exclaimed as he gawked at the television screen. Mia shrugged. "Beginner's Luck? I was pretty smart when I was little. I could read fairly well."

"But it's on the hardest setting! Not even Rowen can do that!!!" Dais lifted Kiku into his arms. "Did you see, Dais? Did you? Did you?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes, I did…" he said slowly and peered at the child. There was something about this child that was beyond normal. He felt it. He also had felt an extra power when everyone had first arrived, but figured that it was all the extra people. He had no idea that it came from Kiku. _Must be the same with Rekka… They are of Ancient blood after all_, he thought. "Dais? How come you gots one eye?" she asked.

"Hm? Oh… I…"

"Did you get hurt?" Dais' face softened and he smiled gently.

"Yes, little one. I had an accident a long time ago…" Kiku leaned upward and kissed his eye patch. She pulled herself free of him and sat down next to Yuli who had found a place on the sofa and held his head in frustration. "Yuli-san?" she called.

"… What Kiku?"

"Wanna cookie?" she asked with half an Oreo in her mouth. She held out the other half to him with a smile. He looked up and blushed, taking it slowly. "Thank you, Kiku."

"Let's go find Whiteblaze…" she suggested and slid off the couch. Mia watched in amazement as the child shut off the game console, remove the game, and put both the system and the games away. Both she and Yuli then left the room calling for the giant cat. "… Did… did you see that?!" she gasped.

"See what?"

"That child is every mother's miracle baby!" Dais chuckled and turned to return to the mess in the kitchen. Mia froze as Kiku's frightened wail filled the house after the sound of shattering glass and splintering wood was heard. "DAIS!! MIA!!" Yuli exclaimed. 

Dais had all ready pivoted quickly onto his heel and was in the front foyer of the house where the screams came from. He was confronted by two very large golden samurai, which trapped both children. Yuli stood on quivering legs, with an angry glare and a very large piece of splintered wood from the front door in his hands. Kiku was crying as she huddled behind Yuli. "C-c'mon!" the boy snapped. "I-I dare ya!" One of the samurai laughed and snatched the boy by his shirt. "My, my! Brave, aren't we?" he sneered. Yuli squirmed in his grip and remembered the wood in his hand. With all the strength he had, he drove the wooden spike into the soldier's neck, reducing him to a smoking shell. In the other samurai's shock, Dais tackled him and rammed him into the wall. Yuli picked himself up from the ground and scrambled over to Kiku. "Are you okay?!" She nodded and sniffled. She had stopped crying. 

"Are you two all right?!" Mia exclaimed. She searched both children over for cuts and scrapes. "W-we're fine, Mia." Dais stood and summoned his sub armor.

"That was clever, boy. Using that piece of wood like that," he said with a wry smile. Yuli grinned. "Anubis said that there are spaces on them were there isn't any protection. I saw his neck and I just… I stabbed him!"

A spear flew past Dais' ear and embedded into the wall like a dart. He spun and saw that there were at least ten more soldiers in the doorway. Dais glared and removed the spear from the wall. He spun it around himself expertly and locked into a solid stance, holding the lance behind him.

"… Cool," Yuli breathed before being yanked away upstairs by Mia.

"Find the Ancient, Mia!" he ordered. Dais felt a breeze of cold air from behind him and grinned. "There you are, Whiteblaze. I was wondering were you had gone." The feline seemed to chuckle and prowl around behind Dais, eyeing one particular soldier dangerously. "Are the girls upstairs?" The beast responded with a low snarl and seemed to nod. "Good. They need to stay here and protect Kaos, Kayura, and the little ones…" he thought aloud. He frowned and stood straight and sighed. "Are you guys going to attack me or what?!"

*****

Tori grumbled as she stepped into the shower. She felt like she had been sleeping for weeks. She could barely remember what happened before she passed out. All she knew was that she had a major headache, a stiff back, and in desperate need of a bath. _Ugh… What the heck happened? Fire in a forest… freaky, black, flying, dirty laundry…_ "I need to stop eating late at night…" she mumbled and turned on the shower. She felt the house shake and thought that Kento and Sekhmet had gotten into another fight again. 

*****

Megami and Sakura scrambled to Kaos' door and knocked hurriedly, but politely. "Masaki-san, Masaki-san!! Sorry to bother you, but-"

"Oh, fer crying out loud! Masaki-san, the Dynasty's attacking!!!" Megami exclaimed and banged on the door. Immediately after, she burst into the room. Kaos sat on his tatami mat, crossed-legged with his back straight. He didn't even appear to hear them. Sakura crouched in front of him and shook him gently. "Masaki-san?! Wake up!"

"What's he doing?? Masaki-san the Dynasty's here! We have to hide you!" Megami pleaded. Still he said nothing and continued looking blankly ahead of him. His eyes had lost their ancient glow and now were a dark and deep blue. His ice blue eyes were gone.

"Hey guys… Was goin' on?" Domo asked sleepily, as she looked in on them.

"The Dynasty's attacking!"

"They're after Lady Kayura."

"And Masaki-san!"

"With a giant-"

"-ONI!!" Domo yawned again. 

"… Oh… I'll be in the shower…" she said sleepily and locked the hall bathroom door as she entered. Megami and Sakura stood in awe with their jaws hanging slack.

*****

Sekhmet leaned over the edge of the roof as he saw Torrent, Halo, Strata, and Wildfire scramble out with their weapons drawn. There were a few armored samurai surrounding the house, but not for long. Anubis and Cale met him on the rooftop. Hardrock was busy fending off other soldiers from climbing on the roof. "Back, back! You guys can't… come up here! You're too… _fat_!" he grunted and chucked a soldier into a tree; the samurai's armor burst apart and left nothing but smoke. "What do you make of it, Sekhmet?" Cale asked as he dodged and arrow. Anubis caught one that had been aimed at his head easily. "I just need to know where Kayura and Kaos are," he replied.

"Kayura is inside with the girls," Cale answered. Anubis nodded and knocked several more arrows out of the way. Megami and Sakura appeared in the attic window out of breath. "Sekkie!" Megami cried and slumped tiredly over the ledge. "Ma-ma-"

"The Ancient won't move or speak!" Sakura exclaimed. "What should we do?!" Sekhmet noticed the fear in both of their eyes and Kongo looked like she was about to cry. Angry, Sekhmet lashed out at a nearby soldier and ripped its head off with his claws. He snarled and turned back at the girls. Megami flinched at his face.

"Stay in the house and protect Mia and the children! Make sure that Kayura stays well hidden! If she dies and the Ancient this world is done for, Ronin Warriors or not!" Megami sniffled and dried her eyes.

"O-okay! C'mon Sakura!"

"Domo and Tori are awake too!" Sakura informed before she shut the window. Anubis and Cale froze. The older of the two grinned. "Well, it's about time!"

"Of course! They wake up at the worst possible time!" Anubis snapped and hurled a spear he caught into the head of a soldier. 

The house shook, knocking all four warriors to their knees. Kento slipped and rolled down the roof. He caught himself and dangled for a moment. He looked down. "Hey, hey! They're running away!" he cheered. "Yeah! You better run! Ya bunch a pussys!!" he laughed. "Whoa!" Kento grabbed the ledge with two hands. Sekhmet pulled him up. "Don't be so happy, Hardrock. This was only a heads up."

"What are ya talkin' about?" The house shook again and again. The whole earth rumbled as if something very large was quickly approaching. Sekhmet stood and removed both Snake-Fang swords. Cale and Anubis followed. "… Didn't think he would risk making one," Cale said.

"He is stronger now, remember?" Anubis reminded. Hardrock stood and swallowed. "Huh?" Sekhmet pointed to the solid wall of trees. 

*****

Sai gripped his yari firmly in his armored hands to steel himself from the rumbling that shook the ground beneath him. His mind scrambled for reason to explain what could be coming for them. And what made things even more confusing was that the level of power did not quite fit the presence coming. However, Torrent's mind could not stray from the ominous feeling he was getting. He had always had a type of sixth sense when it came to danger ever since he was little. Now that he was old enough to recognize it, he _knew_ that by the end of the day, this battle would be a lost one. He glanced over at Ryo. He stood proud, tall, and ready for anything. It was as if nothing could faze the younger man whether he knew the end or not. Sai was glad that at least one of them was optimistic. He could see it in all of their eyes. 

The thunder-like steps occurred closer together, much like the sound of a storm as it drew overhead. And one was doing just that. They felt the temperature quickly drop and the water from the morning rain quickly solidify upon the edges and sides of the house. It wasn't long before they could see their breath. The creature was so close that the leaves on the trees shook until a giant powerful arm the color of a dead bluish-grey plowed through the wall of the forest in front of them and ripped the giant guardians from their ancient roots. As the large titans of the wood fell, a beast that easily held ten or eleven feet on the three-story house emerged slowly. A roar that could split the earth they were standing on emanated from the oni's human like mouth that was dripping with its drool and fresh blood that more than likely came from a large pack of wolves or a bear. Its eyes were of three black irises and dark red weeping orbs where the whites of the eye should have been. They scanned the ground floor and eyed each of the awestruck Ronins hungrily and curiously. The powerful chest rose and fell slowly, with the intake of air louder than any snarl Whiteblaze could make. Yellow and almost black crooked teeth peeked out from the sickly purple lips and the stench of the beast could over power thousands of dead or dying creatures. A creature that appeared to be a hideously deformed human did not even come close to the name. With its three eyes, stunted growth in the hands, and the inferior, primal mindset of kill to survive, it was far from anything that the gods or even the Dark Prince himself could create. This was the very presence of a clash of worlds. A mistake. It was put together with whatever parts were left over that no one, good or evil, wanted at the dawn of Creation.

Sekhmet and the others met them on the ground as the creature had revealed itself from the forest. He peered upward at the creature and found perched atop its shoulder was Badamon. He glared up at the old ghoul and said nothing. Something else caught the old warriors eye. Upon its forehead and the backs of the hands were five runes: three on the forehead and one on each hand. Badamon chucked and kicked his ghostly legs with amusement. "Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho! Lookie what I found! Food for my precious baby Yin!"

"That _thing_ has a name?!" Rowen questioned and readied an arrow at one eye. Badamon frowned and stood. "Of course she has a name!!" he snapped.

"SHE?!" Kento and Ryo gaped. "That's a girl?!"

"Ouuu! I am so _sick_ of you Ronins! Hypocrites! All of you are!!" he shrieked and hopped up and down furiously. "You spout all this nonsense of justice and peace for nature and here you all are denouncing Yin as if she wasn't!!"

"She _isn't_!!" Rowen snarled. "You _created_ her out of god know what with intentions that were not here when these worlds were formed! She is _not_ a natural being. All she is is the embodiment of you and Talpa's hate for this realm!" He let his arrow fly and it sunk into one of the large eyes of Yin. He let another loose and he left one eye still functioning. Nearly blind, she lashed out at the ground clumsily. It's large hand swung at Rowen and missed. He grinned. "Ha! All power and no speed!" he laughed. Suddenly, the dark blue stone on its hand sparked. A powerful blast of wind caught him and pummeled him into the ground, crushing his chest. Badamon giggled uproariously and hovered above Yin. "Yes, she may be slow, but her power quickly catches up! Even if she misses, her meaning never does! Aha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Sage scrambled over to the three-foot hold in the ground where Rowen laid unconscious. "God! Rowen!! Hey!" he called and pulled him from the dirt. He moaned and coughed up a mouthful of blood. "… O-ow…" he gasped.

"What where you doing?! You could have been killed! And you're supposed to be the smart one!!" Sage scolded and aided the Ronin to his feet while Yin still tried to pull the arrows from her skull. With a shriek that shook the ground, they clutched their ears. Her cry was deafening. Noticing the two closer Ronins, she drove Sage and Rowen into the ground with a heavy punch. Cale fell to one knee and glared up at the oni. "Got… to get it… away from the house!!" he gritted and pulled himself and Anubis to his feet. Yin stopped and scanned the ground again, setting her sight on Sekhmet. "NIUGHHH!!!" 

Badamon chuckled as he watched her catch him in her grip as he attempted to leap away from her. Yin held Sekhmet in her powerful hands and squeezed, feeling his bones giving to the immense strain. He refused to let even a murmur escape his throat. He bit his lip until dark red blood began to trickle down his neck. "Crush him!! Kill the bastard that put Lady Managi in pain!!" Badamon shrieked. Sekhmet's eyes flew open and he locked a glare that rivaled the angriest of demons with the ancient ghoul. 

_"Black Lightning Slash!"_

_ "Quake with Fear!!"_ Chains empowered by Cale's sure-kill wrapped around Yin's arm and shocked her, releasing Sekhmet. Dais leapt up to catch him before he fell onto the splinters of wood from the fallen trees. Sekhmet pushed Dais away with a deadly snarl and leapt onto Yin's arm. "What are you doing!?" he demanded. Yin struggled to pull away the chains. Anubis and Cale were pulled from their feet and launched into the ground. Sai and Kento rushed to them and pulled them away before she brought her foot down upon them. Ryo knelt beside them. "How can we beat this thing?! It's got the girls' runes!" Anubis struggled to sit up and watched Sekhmet evade the grabs that Yin attempted as he made his way toward her face. He saw that his body was about to change. "S-Sekhmet!! NO!!" he roared and raced towards his feet. He dodged Ryo's fire strike and Sai's water blast before meeting Sekhmet on the back of the shoulder. "Sekhmet! Come on! We have to lead it away! If you change now you might harm the others too!!" Sekhmet answered him with a loud hiss and dug his sharp claws into Yin's flesh. She emitted another scream and clawed at her back. Anubis glared darkly at him and delivered a blow to his skull, knocking him out. He fell and Anubis caught him as he touched the ground. _Idiot! You'll get yourself killed! Then what am I supposed to tell Managi when she finds out that you're dead!?_ he thought angrily and followed Halo and Strata. Yin was not far behind.

*****

Domo and Tori exchanged worried glances as the others filled them in on what had happened after they were attacked. So far Anubis and Sekhmet were on deadly terms with one another (actually Sekhmet was the one who wanted the other dead), one of Talpa's warlords had warned them that he was going to kill the Ancients, and to make matters even worse, there was a giant demon sent to do the job. Tori hid her face in a couch pillow. "Geez… Someone knock me out again…"

"So do you guys think you can help hide Kaos and Kayura?" Sakura asked. "I know you all just woke up from sleeping for two weeks…"

"Sure thing! I just wanna know why the heck I'm not out there!" Tori frowned as she went to the window. The Ronins and the oni called 'Yin' disappeared into the woods almost an hour ago. It was snowing, yet they heard thunder-like sounds from the woods. Sakura sighed. "… I hope they're okay."

"You mean you hope Sai's okay, dontcha?" Megami smirked. Sakura blushed and frowned. "No. I really hope that they're not dead!" she snapped. "I can't believe you want to make jokes at a time like this! We could all get killed!!" she cried and slumped beside Kayura. Kaos was still in his meditative state. Sakura covered her face and gasped for a breath to ease some stress. "Hey, chill out!" Megami said. "I didn't mean to say it like that!"

"That's not the point!!" she sniffled. Kayura touched her shoulder and rubbed her back soothingly. "It will be all right, Suiko. They defeated Talpa together. And this is just another demon… They'll come home safe," she said softly. Tori folded her arms.

"Yeah… She's right, Sakura."

"Sorry," she sniffled. "I just can't shake this feeling that something bad is gonna happen…" She ran her hands through her hair roughly as she stood. "All of them are gone and it's just us with hardly any battle experience here… I just don't feel that…"

"Kaos is gone!!" Domo exclaimed. Turning their heads to the tatami mat he was on, they found it empty. "He… How the hell could he have left the room?!?!" Tori demanded and ran into the hallway. "We would have seen him go!! 'Jiisan!!!" Kiku looked out the window and blinked. "Granpa is out there in the snow," she said calmly. Mia rushed beside her. "What? Did you see him?"

"No… 'Jiisan told me he went outside and that he would make everything okay," Kiku replied and resumed her playing with her doll. Kayura sat next to the child. "Kiku?"

"Huh?"

"Look at me…" Kiku looked up at Kayura. The priestess took her face in her hands and simply stared into the child's ice-blue eyes. "Where did he go, little one?"

"Outside."

"Yes, but where?"

"Um… To fight the 'dead man'."

"'Dead man'?" Kayura repeated. _Badamon? No, Kaos wouldn't risk his life to fight _that_ fool. 'Dead man'?_ "Thank you, Kiku…"

"Lady Kayura? What is she talking about?" Domo asked.

"I have to talk to Anubis first… Now, there's nothing we can do…"

"_Nothing_?! My grandfather's gonna get killed!!!!" Tori exploded. "I can't believe that you want to just wait for Anubis. Like he would know anything-" Kayura struck Tori across the cheek. She clutched it in shock. "I am _tired_ of you always attacking him!! Anubis has risked his own life to save yours numerous times! He sat by you bedside for _two weeks_ because he felt responsible for what happened to you! Stop being so selfish and _childish_! I am so sure that Kaos did not teach you that!! Now grow up, shut up, and wait for them! If we go out there now, I am almost certain that Talpa will try something and in your current state, none of you are even ready!!" she shouted. Tori's cheeks heated with shame and she sat down on Kaos' mat saying nothing more. Kayura let out a deep breath and sat down falling silent. 

*****

Thundering footsteps roused Sekhmet from his 'sleep'. He found himself hidden with a few of the others in a small cave of some sort. Dais and Cale along with Torrent hid in the cave. His head throbbed and he sat up groaning. "Ughnn… What hit me?" he mumbled. Anubis peeked outside the cave opening to see Yin pass by. They froze and stayed silent. "Do you smell them Yin? You may eat them if you like!" Badamon chuckled. "Lord Fou-Lu said to take your time. Oh, ho! This is fun!" Yin moaned and began to pull bushes and whole trees up by their trunks. Anubis ducked back inside. "Where are we?" Sekhmet asked. "And why does my head hurt?"

"I'm sorry, Sekhmet," Anubis began. "You were about to transform into your true self… We were too close to the house. You would have killed all of us too." Sekhmet frowned and leaned back against the stone wall. He closed his eyes and folded his arms. "At least I wouldn't have to deal with you anymore…" he muttered. Anubis sighed and did not reply to his comment. "Sekhmet, you didn't have to say that…" Sai scolded firmly. Sekhmet opened one eye and glanced at him silently. 

"Any sign of the others?" Cale asked. "I lost track of them a few miles back… This stench of this oni killed my nose…" he said with disgust. "That Yin is all I can smell!"

"I think they're gone…" Dais said. 

"SAGE!!!" Cale and Anubis were the first to scramble out of the cave to find that their other companions had hidden close by and Halo was caught in Yin's iron grip. Badamon was leaping happily upon her shoulder. "Yes, yes! Squeeze the incompetence out of him!! Go! Goo!!"

"HALO!!" Cale cried and drew his no-dachi. Yin turned and saw him charging her with the end of his sword determined to embed itself somewhere vital. Sage gasped for air and found the strength to open his eyes. A blurred figure raced down the arm towards him. "Sage!" he heard in his ringing ears. It was Rowen. Yin roared and opened her mouth wide. A deep, loud growl emanated from her throat with a brightness forming in her throat. A pillar of fire erupted from her throat and Cale was barely able to avoid it. His right arm sizzled and smoked something horrible. He snarled with disgust and dodged another ball of fire. Unfortunately for Ryo he was hit and knocked into the side of the mountain. Yin caught sight of Strata on her arm and snatched him in her other hand as the man tried to pull Sage free from her grip. She squeezed him, feeling his rib cage crush under the immense pressure. A scream ripped through the clearing before he fell silent and went limp. She dropped him to the ground where he fell in a heap. 

"ROWEN!" he exclaimed and rushed to the younger Ronin. "Oh good god!" Blood trickled from his mouth and nose. The symbol of life burned brightly on his forehead. The armor was clamping down on his life determined to keep him alive. He began to breathe. Red bubbles splurged from his lips. Torrent stared at his friend in shock.

_"Iron Rock Crusher!"_

_"Flare Up now!!"_ A bright wave of fire and rock that was liquefying under Ryo's heated sure kill pummeled Yin into the ground. Cale leaped onto her stomach and drove his sword down to the hilt and practically began to gut her. Acid like blood that was the color of black gushed from the opening. "Cale! Get the hell away from that!!" Kento warned and snatched the former warlord as he leapt over Yin. 

A bright light from Badamon appeared in his hands and he launched it at Yin. At once she rose and ripped the no-dachi from her stomach. She drove it into Dais' shoulder and pinned him to the stone wall. Black blood fell like a waterfall from her stomach and corroded the ground, killing everything it touched. The snow all around melted at her feet, turning black before it ate away at the ground. She had dropped Sage in the process and he collapsed into the snow beside Kento. "Sage! You okay?!"

"… N-no… Do I…_look_ okay to you?!" he snapped and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Ryo caught himself on a branch and saw Anubis and Cale being batted from the air as if they were flies. "Damn it all…"

"Wildfire!!!" Sekhmet shouted and met him on the branch. "The White Armor! Use it!"

"I can't it'll kill Sage and Rowen!" he protested. 

"Idiot! We all can give you the power you need! Just take it from one of us! It's the only way!" he shouted. 

*****

Kaos looked up at the clouded sky. It darkened quickly as he sensed a surge of power. The snow hailed down upon the valley in a heavy shower. Shakujo's rings clanged in a loud frenzy. He lowered his head. "Are you ready to use Inferno again, Wildfire?" he asked aloud. A blast of white light flashed in the distance and a great roar echoed in agony before it died away with the light. The darkness fell again and Kaos held the staff in both hands. Instantly, it became a sword that attached itself to the belt along his body. An armor that was similar to the other Ronins formed around him in a burst of white fire. He gripped the ivory helmet in his hands fastened it securely. As the flames died away he clutched the hilt of Shakujo and turned. "… At last we meet. You know how much trouble you caused me? Because of you, I had to use myself as a seal and put the ones I love in danger."

"… Thee should hath kept a keener eye upon thy precious runes, Ancient One." Fou-Lu sneered and descended to the snow covered ground. Kaos pushed the blade of Shakujo out with his thumb and crouched slightly as he grasped the hilt…


	17. Battle Fallen Angel: Part Two of Two

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Seventeen: Battle Fallen Angel

Part Two of Two 

Kento caught Dais as Cale ripped his weapon from his shoulder with an angry snarl. The force caused blood to splatter across the solid wall of granite. Sai and Anubis were doing their best to attract Yin's attention and keep her occupied for them. Cale lead an attack all his own: he assaulted Yin's front mercilessly. "Mnn… Damn," Dais gritted out. "That _almost_ reduced me to tears…" He stood and clutched his shoulder, swaying slightly from the loss of blood that still flowed rather quickly. He fell back against the wall and groaned. "Yo, dude! Careful!"

"Hoo. Dizzy spell…"

"I think you need to head for cover with Sage and Ro." Dais frowned and tore himself away from the wall. "I'm fine Hardrock!" he snapped. In the next instant, he followed Cale in his assault.

"EVERYBODY GET BACK!" Wildfire ordered with a roar from atop of a rather high branch that was just out of Yin's reach. His body suddenly began to emit searing heat as he leapt to the ground. Yin looked at the crimson warrior curious to why this one looked so different to her. Sekhmet dangled from an adjacent branch by his legs and caught Torrent's then Cale's hand, throwing them to a safe haven among the branches. Anubis lifted an unconscious Strata under one arm as he joined Hardrock upon a branch. "What is he doing?!" Anubis exclaimed. At that moment, his armor began to glow and resonate slowly at first, and then accelerated. His was not the only one. Cale, Sekhmet, and Hardrock's armor were doing the same thing. It then occurred to the ancient warrior that he would finally witness the power of Hariel's Inferno. "Hardrock?" Anubis asked in a very confused and somewhat worried voice. "W-what is happening to me? I feel rather faint," he murmured in a slurred voice, but then regained slight composure before falling out of it again. Kento chuckled and held Anubis' shoulder to keep from falling off of the branch. "Easy there, Red. It's the Inferno that's makin' ya all dizzy. You get used to it after a while," he replied with a grin. Anubis shook the dizziness from his head and nodded slowly, nearly falling off of the branch. "Hey! Stay awake! This is the best part! Watch this oni thingy get nuked!" Hardrock grinned. Anubis looked down at Wildfire and felt his energy being drained from him. The feeling resemble that of all the blood rushing from one's head at once. The man nearly fainted.

Ryo of the Wildfire absorbed orbs of gold, amber, teal, and dark amethyst before his body was engulfed into bright crimson flames. He stumbled backwards, feeling heated shin guards bond to his armor and bladed gauntlets forming onto his forearms. They exploded into searing flames, engulfing his entire body. The light was blinding. When it subsided, armor of pure ivory protected Ryo as he stood in the midst of melted snow and charred ground. Black Blaze appeared by his side and Ryo withdrew the Swords of Fervor slowly. There was an awkward silence for a moment as Yin stared at the small man with curious and confused eyes. Badamon watched from a safe distance, Ryo noted with distain, but the evil priest was far from his worries. Ryo and Yin were now involved in a very intense staring contest when she realized that this small one posed a very large threat to her. 

"GO GET 'EM, MAN!" Kento cheered.

"Hardrock shut up!" Dais and Sekhmet hissed harshly. "You'll distract her from Wildfire!"

"Heh, sorry…" 

Badamon balled up his fists and launched a dark teal ball of energy in Ryo's direction in which he was all too quick to avoid. However, this slight distraction had a rather painful consequence as a large, heated fist of fire pummeled the young Ronin into the ground. Cale stiffened. He didn't even see her movements. "Sekhmet? Did you see any of that?" he asked in a worried voice. The former snake emperor swallowed hard and shook his head in silent response. "… She's faster now," he stated, "She's drawing energy from Tenku's rune… This could be bad…"

Ryo struggled to lift himself from the molten crater Yin created with his body. He gripped the swords tightly and stood on weary legs. He swayed slightly and supported himself on one of the swords. _Uhh, this can't be good. My energy is leaving me…_ Ryo glared up at Yin with blazing eyes and drew in a deep breath to prepare himself for what would become the loudest and angriest sure-kill he would utter.

_"RAGE… OF… INFERNO!!!"_

*****

"That's it! I can't take it anymore!" Tori exclaimed and jumped up from the mat she had been sitting at for the past two hours. Kayura's head shot up and frowned. "Rekka, where do you think you're going?!"

"Out to find 'Jiisan or help Ryo and the others, which ever comes first," she replied with a snap. Domo stood and met her at the door with the Ronin-like onyx armor forming around her. "That's not a half bad idea. I'll go with you. Sitting here is driving me insane…"

"Now just a _darn_ minute! Don't you remember what Sekkie told us?!" Megami exclaimed. "We have to stay here and protect Lady Kayura! What happens if you two go and we get attacked? There's no way we can stand up to someone like that weird, pervert… cat… guy! Heck, we probably couldn't _together_!!" Domo folded her arms.

"Exactly why sitting here does us no good. Either way, if we get attacked, Kayura inevitably dies… Might as well go down fighting as much as we can. Besides, you said yourself that we wouldn't be able to protect her even together! And if the Dynasty was really itching to off Kayura, they would have done it all ready! Talpa more than likely knows how weak we still are. They wouldn't leave us sitting here. From what I've all ready seen, it isn't they're style. We're better off moving around to keep them on their toes… At least that way we have a better chance of keeping her alive for the time being."

"What are you trying to say, Domo-chan?" Nasake asked.

"… This oni that we're all worried about is after Kayura and Masaki-san, right?"

"Uh huh…"

"Then why is it attacking the guys and not us? The first thing it did when it got here was pound Rowen into the ground, then Sage… _WE_ were inside… The oni is trying to lure our only if not _best_ chance of keeping these two alive away. Why do you think Masaki-san booked it?" Domo replied. Everyone fell silent. Kayura stared at Domo, completely shocked at the skill that Korin showed. It was bizarre that she knew this much about war tactics and never been involved in any type of conflict like one. Korin turned to Tori and said, "Let's go have some fun," she said with a sly grin. The two girls ducked out of the room. "Girls, _wait_!!" Kayura called, but they had vanished.

*****

Ryo fell to one knee as the heated blast from his soul swords resided. Gasping for breath, he fell to all fours and lifted his heavy head at the once gigantic beast. It now lay in a pile of smoldering, stinking flesh, acid-like blood, and bubbling remains. He collapsed to the ground and sighed deeply closing his eyes. The cries of his friends met his ears and he smiled to himself. Kento and Sekhmet lifted him up by the back of his armor with smiles of triumph on their faces. "Hey, hey! Way to go, man! Now that's what I call a gooood flambé!"

"What is it with you and food, Hardrock?" Sekhmet laughed. "Well done, boy!"

"I'll say! That things waaay well done!" Kento laughed.

"… Heh… Thanks…" Ryo laughed softly. Dais attempted to lift the Inferno helmet from Ryo's head, but burned his hands. "GODS!!" he yelped and shoved them into the snow. Laughter met his ears and he colored. "It's hot, Dais!" Cale laughed. Ryo groaned as his knees buckled. "Dude! You okay?!"

"Huuh… I think so. Just tired… Gimme a minute, 'kay?" he smiled and plopped down against a fallen tree.

"… Wow… Intense…" Anubis uttered with a dazed smile. "Such power I have never seen…" he breathed.

"Hell yes! And what a rush you get afterwards! Woo! Let's do that again!" Kento cheered. "NO WAY!" the others exclaimed.

"Aw man! You guys are wimps!" He knelt down next to Sage and Rowen. They were still out of it. "Damn… Sage is really injured. What are we gonna do about Rowen too?" he asked. 

"Kayura will take care of it. That is, of course she's still alive," Dais murmured. 

"Blast! I forgot all about them!!" Anubis exclaimed. 

"Ryo!! Heey!!" Tori cried with a smile as she and Domo emerged from the forest treetops. They leapt down from them and landed gracefully at Dais and Sekhmet's feet. "Korin! Rekka! What are you doing here?! You're supposed to be protecting Kayura and Kaos!" Anubis exclaimed. 

"We came to look for 'Jiisan! He disappeared and we don't know where he went! Kiku said that he went to fight the 'dead man', whatever the hell that means!" Tori answered with a frown.

"What do you mean Kaos disappeared?!" Dais and Cale exclaimed. Tori shrank back. "He's gone! We all thought that he went to fight with you guys! He isn't here either?!"

"Gods no! We could barely save our own skins!" Dais said. "Just look at them!" Tori and Domo looked behind him and saw Strata and Halo lying lifeless in the snow. Domo brushed past him and knelt beside them. "Domo-chan… H-how are they?"

"Pretty bad… I dunno if I can help them," she whispered. 

"Try Domo… I'm sure Korin has given you her power to heal too," she whispered. Tori looked over at Ryo and gasped. He looked completely trashed. "Ryo? You okay?" she asked gently and went to remove his helmet. 

"No don't! It's hot!!" Dais warned. Tori had all ready laid her hands on the ivory cap and unfastened it. Dais frowned. Carefully she lifted it off of his neck and heaved it to one side. "Damn that's heavy…" she murmured. Ryo swayed slightly from where he sat. She held him firmly. "Easy Ryo… Man, you look like hell," she said.

"Heh, thanks… You're a sight for sore eyes," he smiled weakly. Tori blushed and glanced over at Anubis who appeared to be sulking. He glared at them every now and then. "At least some think so," she laughed softly. She saw the cut on Ryo's temple and took the corner of her cloak and held it firmly to the open wound. "Ow!" he hissed.

"Sorry. It's like Niagara Falls over here."

"'Niagara Falls'? Where's that?" He covered her hand gently and sat up straighter. Tori blushed. 

"America. 'Jiisan told me about it… They flow like there's no tomorrow."

"You been there?"

"Nah… I want to though… Sounds like fun, America."

"Hey you two! Quit planning you're honeymoon and let's get Rowen and Sage back to the house!" Kento said with a smirk. Ryo flushed and Tori frowned. She picked up a handful of snow and hurled it at the back of Kento's head. "HEY!"

"No need for that, Kento… Ugh," Sage muttered and sat up. He clutched his head and groaned. "Head ache…" Rowen was in a similar state only more vulgar.

"Rowen! Sage! You're… healed?!" Sai exclaimed. "Domo, how did-"

"Ask Sage… It's the same power," Domo smiled.

"Aw man! Cale! What the hell are you doin'?! Don't stick your arm in- awww sick!!" Kento exclaimed in disgust as the Ronin's arm was completely submerged into the slop like remains of Yin. "Eww! Cale!!" Domo shuddered. "You don't know what's in that!"

"Runes! Runes, my dear! This is how we were nearly killed!" he said and removed his arm. It was covered in the charred flesh of the beast. He had in his hand a shard. "Torrent, could you assist me and rinse this off?" 

"S-sure… Aw, Cale that's disgusting! You're going in again!?"

"There are four more aren't there?"

_Sometime later._

"Eww! No way! I don't want it now!" Tori squeaked. Anubis frowned and threw his head back in annoyance from where he sat. "It's clean! If you're squeamish about a little fleshy remains, then you should just go home now!"

"You promise?!" Tori smiled. Domo pinched her arm. "Ow!"

"Be realistic…" she peered down at her rune and frowned. "This… isn't my rune…" she said slowly and crushed it in her grip. Tori did the same and the red crystal turned to black ash. "They're fakes!!"

"I knew it! This was all made to get us away from Kayura and Masaki-san!" Domo snapped and threw the dust away. "That oni was a decoy!"

"We've got to find the Ancient One now! Dais, Cale, Sekhmet, you come with me! The rest of you should go back to the house and protect Kayura and the others," Anubis ordered. "Hey wait! I'm going too!" Tori exclaimed and helped Ryo to his feet. Anubis shook his head. "No, it's too dangerous…"

"Tch. Like you care! I want to help find my grandfather! I'm not going to sit on my ass and not help out!"

"Why? You do plenty of that anyway," Anubis retorted with angry sarcasm. Tori slapped his cheek. "Listen you jerk! It may come as a shock to you but I happen to love my grandfather! I'm going and you can't stop me!" she yelled. Ryo touched Tori's shoulder. "Hey, calm down, Tori… Anubis wouldn't let anything happen to Kaos." Anubis glared darkly down at the young and angry girl. "Don't tempt me, little one… Stay here." He moved aside and started to head towards the forest. Tori stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "I'm going whether you tell me to stay or not!"

"Out of the way, woman! I don't have time for your games!" Anubis snapped and attempted to push her out of the way. He burned himself on her armored body and hissed. "Dammit!!"

"I'm not staying."

"Look I can't protect you and save Kaos too! You are too weak to be doing this still!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Get out of the way or so help me-" Tori balled up her fists and glared up at him, eyes brimming with angry and frustrated tears. "… You better bring him home! You got that, Red!? If he dies-"

"Tori-sama," Ryo began gently. "Stop this… We're wasting time…"

"No!"

"By the gods woman! Go home and wait!!" Anubis snapped. "Do as I ask at least once in your life!"

"Promise me you'll bring him back…"

"Tori-"

"_Promise me!!!_" she shrieked. Dais' one eye widened as her body caught fire quickly. "Anubis…" he began.

"All right… I promise," he said in a soft voice. He then frowned. "Now stop crying!" he ordered.

"I'm _not_ crying!" she snapped in a sob. She dried her eyes angrily and moved to the side after a long stare. His eyes softened slightly. Gently he took her by the arms and lifted her chin upward slightly. "Hey…" He found her eyes. "Be strong, all right?" he whispered. Tori blushed and looked away still angry. "Go home and rest, Tori…" he said gently as he released her. "We don't need for you and the others to get sick now… We'll be back as quickly as we can…" She watched them disappear into the trees before Sai and Kento pulled her along back to the house.

Anubis lowered his head once they were out of sight. He finally realized the Ancient One's intentions. He wasn't one to let 'death' find him by sitting around. He would either fight it or find it and surrender to it to end it quickly. If Anubis had guessed correctly, the Ancient had purposely disappeared to fight this on his own. _He's going to endanger Shakujo as well as the Mortal World…_ he thought. And in the back of his mind he knew that he had no control over what the gods had in store for Kaos and his promise to Tori may have all ready been destined to break…

*****

Fou-Lu chuckled as he observed Kaos. The ancient warlord shook his head and continued to laugh more and more uproariously. Kaos' eyes narrowed darkly. His piercing blue eyes were colder than the snow upon the ground. Fou-Lu's laughter died down and he held out his palm. A blade of dark light formed in his armored, clawed hand. "… I hath always wondered what t'would be like to face the man whom banished mine master so… easily. Thou must have great power, Ancient One…" he said softly and approached him slowly. Kaos held his ground and said nothing. Fou-Lu smiled and chuckled again before vanishing into a blur that darted all around him. "Shall we start?" he laughed. Kaos' eyes scanned the clearing wherever he stopped briefly, but his eyes were just slightly behind. He closed his eyes and whispered a spell. Instantly a blast erupted from him and spread all across the clearing, hitting everything with his energy, hoping to mark or tag Fou-Lu to read his movements easier. Fou-Lu simply laughed and struck him from behind. "Thou hath to do better than mere tricks, monk! I am no ordinary demon!" Kaos stumbled forward then slashed to what appeared to be empty air. Instead, his blade met with flesh and drew a snarl from Fou-Lu. "Fight me, demon… Warrior to warrior… Or have you no honor?"

"Honor? I know not this word…" he snapped. Kaos' eyes flashed silver as he came at Fou-Lu, thrusting the Shakujo blade into his shoulder. He again uttered an incantation and the blade grew hot with holy light. Fou-Lu felt the heat of his attack even before he finished his spell. He snarled and shoved Kaos away, ripping the blade from his shoulder. As soon as he touched it, he was hurled into the ground by its power and sent pulse after pulse of white light into his body. He clawed at the ground and writhed well after the attack ceased. Kaos tore Shakujo from his shoulder and a rapid river of black blood gushed from the opening, corroding the ground and sizzling on Kaos' sword. He backed away slowly as Fou-Lu stood warily on his feet. His eyes were no longer the hard teal they usually were. Black orbs glared out at him and he lifted himself from the ground, hovering in mid-air. Dark, electrical energy crackled in between his palms as his anger grew. "Thou… art as powerful as mine master said…" he breathed. His voice became deep and demonic, sending a shiver down Kaos' spine. Time was running out.

Fou-Lu instantly snatched Kaos by his throat and held him from the ground. He sent a shock through him and Shakujo fell from his hands. "I could kill thou now… easily. I am not like Talpa…" he whispered and flung him into the stone wall of a cliff. Kaos lifted himself from the rubble. "Return to the depths of Hell, demon!!!" he shrieked as he sent powerful blast at him before charging at him with a spear of white light. Fou-Lu deflected the blast and his heel connected with his temple as he performed a twist kick as he came close. Kaos flew into the truck of a large tree and collapsed to the ground. Fou-Lu lifted him with a dark energy orb and held him inside and electrical prison. "Pathetic. Thou know thy fate… Why am I wasting mine time?" he sighed. He shrieked in agony as the energy sent electrical pulses through his body. The ball of nether energy vanished and Kaos dropped to the ground. Fou-Lu was astonished that he had survived all of that and was still conscious. "Eager to die, aren't ye?" he asked and lifted him again. Kaos' face was tired and beaten, yet his eyes had fight still in them. Fou-Lu realized this a second too late as Kaos' palm faced him at point blank and blasted him across the clearing. He snatched his sword and drove it into Fou-Lu's abdomen just as he recovered from the blast. He snarled and pulled the blade deeper into him, smiling dangerously. "Wonderful… Sadly… futile…" he whispered and thrust his armored hand into his shoulder, dislocating it. Kaos crumpled to the ground and hissed in pain. Fou-Lu pulled the sword out slowly, wounds healing completely. He hurled the blade into the tree behind him and sighed again. Kaos stood warily on his legs then collapsed to his knees, coughing up a large amount of blood into the snow. He groaned loudly as a sharp, constricting pain occurred in his chest, forcing more air out than in. A dark, slow chuckle met his ears and he glanced upward at Fou-Lu. "How in all the universe did thee ever defeat Talpa, when a lowly disciple, such as I, hath no trouble with ye?" He kneeled down in front of Kaos and shook his head. "I hath expected more from ye, o Ancient One…" Kaos said nothing and simply glared. Fou-Lu struck him on the side of the temple and onto his back. "Do ye not find it odd that I could defeat ye where mine master could not?" he paused and chuckled. "… Well… not very much so… Perhaps it is because I am _stronger_ than Talpa… The power of the darkness is so… filling… Kurai will be freed once ye and the girl are dead and thine Guardians' seals are shattered, Talpa or not…"

Kaos stared up at the warlord leering over him in shock. Fou-Lu yanked the monk to his feet by his hair. "Haven't ye something to say?" he asked. Kaos closed his eyes as he dangled in the air. "… He will not… Amaranthine…" Fou-Lu promptly dropped Kaos and started away from him. "'Amaranthine'? There… is no such power!"

"Aye… but there is… And only I can… find it… but killing me… will not stop it from finding…them…" Fou-Lu once more picked Kaos from the ground. He held him by the neck roughly. "… We shall see, monk." 

With one swift motion, he bore into the monk's chest with his clawed hand and grinned as it exited from his back. Kaos' face paled in the shock and blood spilled from his lips. "Tell them all… they art on borrowed time to find thine 'Amaranthine'…" he sneered and let the monk slide from his grip.

*****

Kiku hummed while she and Yuli sat at the coffee table drawing. Yuli glanced over at his 'little sister' and peered at her drawing. Something caught his eyes on her drawing that he found rather strange. "Kiku? What are you drawing?" he asked and set the crayon down on the table. Kiku continued to hum and scribble vigorously with a red crayon. She set it down and lifted it for him to see. " 'Jiisan and the Happy-Face-Man," she replied with a smile. "The 'Happy-Face-Man'? Let me see…" Yuli took the picture from her and looked at it. His eyes widened in shock. She had drawn a very accurate picture of Talpa. As child-like as it was it was easily recognizable. "Can I show this to Mia and Lady Kayura?" he asked. Kiku took the picture and wrote her name in big letters on the bottom of the page. "Okay. All done!"

"Hey Mia. Look what Kiku drew!" he exclaimed. Mia looked up from her mug of tea and smiled softly. She took the drawing with it in her mind that it would be a pretty picture of a rainbow or puppy dog. She saw one look at the 'Happy-Face-Man' and nearly spilled her drink. "My god!" she exclaimed. "Lady Kayura! Tell me who is in this picture!" She handed the drawing to her and swallowed hard. "Is that who I think it is?"

"It's Lord Kaos and a…" she stopped and began to chuckle, "a very _accurate_ portrait of Talpa!" she laughed, positively tickled by the childishness of the drawing. "Nice job, Yuli," she commended. Yuli scratched the back of his head. 

"Um, I didn't draw it. Kiku did…" he said. Kayura froze.

"Kiku??" She looked at the little girl who had started on another picture. Again she used the red crayon. "Little one?" she began. "Who is this man?" she asked and pointed to Talpa when she kneeled beside her. Kiku looked up. "Him? That's the Happy-Face-Man. He's has a big red mask and is happy all the time… 'Jiisan says he's always been sad… How can he be sad and smile, Kay?" Kayura stared at the picture and set it down. "I'm not sure, little one… but it is a very nice picture. Why don't you go and show it to the girls in the kitchen."

"Okay, but can I finish?"

"Of course… Lady Mia? May I speak to you in the hall?"

"Sure…" She followed Kayura into the hallway leading to the study. "What is it?"

"That child… Have you shown her any pictures of Talpa from your sources?"

"No. They're aren't any! Yuli attempted to last time he showed up, but all he got was smudges on the photo when we developed them. It's impossible…"

"Then how do you explain the fact that she knows what he looks like?" Mia paused for a moment. "… She is a descendant of Kaos. Directly even. She may have more powers than you, Lady Kayura! She probably only experiences them in episodes like dreams or energy surges…"

"Like I was when I was her age…" she added. Both women peered into the living room again. Yuli was attempting to convince Kiku about something.

"No, Kiku. You can't- Awww! Don't eat the crayon!!"

"Eww. Tastes yucky! That's not an orange!!" The two women looked at one another again and sighed. "She has a long way to go…" Kayura said.

The grandfather clock struck eight in the evening. Mia sighed. "I hope those girls and the others are all right… and the Ancient One too." Kayura nodded slowly. The clock finally struck eight. With it, Kayura gasped and fell against the wall. "Lady Kayura! Are you all right?!"

"Oh… That was unexpected…" she groaned and fell to her knees clutching her chest. "Mnn… My chest is on fire…"

"Yuli! Get some water!"

*****

Cale stopped and looked around silently. A wet scent tickled his nose. It was a scent that he hadn't known for a long time. Dais looked back at the distracted warrior. "What is it, Cale?" he asked.

"Sh!" His ears pricked to a faint clashing sound. The scent grew stronger and it was oddly strange to him. He frowned. "… I smell blood…"

"You sure it isn't that damn creature Wildfire killed?" Sekhmet grumbled. He could still smell that beast's horrible stench lingering in his nose. He could almost taste it, but he tried not to think about it. Cale flashed a glare at Sekhmet. "… It's human… and… something else…"

"Return to the depths of Hell, demon!!!"

Anubis pushed past Cale, nearly knocking him over as he dashed in the direction of his voice and the explosions. It was coming from the northern mountain wall that separated this world from theirs. 

"Persistent, aren't ye?" Fou-Lu sighed and knocked away a barrage of white blasts of light that Kaos pathetically dealt. He peered at the dying man. Upon an even closer look, he appeared to be smiling. Kaos was indeed. _Just a little more time…_ he thought. His vision was all ready useless and relied on his somewhat numbed senses to lead him. Lazily he wiped the blood from his lips as he tried to take a breath. It amazed him that he was still standing even with a gaping hole in his abdomen. The pain was gone and he felt heavy._ I would have liked to see them all one more time…_ he thought collapsing into the snow though still conscious. 

Something caught him by the arms. Noise. Laughter… Everything rushed together. His mind was so hazy. He felt something burning into his mind. It was a horrible sensation that he hadn't felt in the four years since Talpa was banished. It was as dark as the day they met. He thought the light had trapped and banished it back into the darkest part of his humanity. Unfortunately, he had neglected to see it slowly return and take its place among the hate and sorrow that had accumulated over the past years. And it was about to show itself…

Kaos opened his eyes. His vision came and went like his hearing. He didn't understand why he wasn't dead all ready. A patch of deep sapphire caught his eye as a tuff of it peeked out of his helmet. "… Cale…"

"He's alive! Dais, be quick and get Halo!!" Sekhmet ordered. 

"… I cannot permit that…" Fou-Lu warned as he sent a shock through Dais before he could summon a portal. Anubis rushed to catch the man by the arm. The Ronin of Serenity clutched his head as he tore off his helmet with a searing pain ripping between his eyes. He shoved Anubis away with a snarl. Fou-Lu began to chuckle. It leered into a jovial laughter before he cackled loudly at the top of his lungs. Sekhmet stood slowly and removed his helmet before taking one snake-fang sword from the sheath on his back. He began to approach Fou-Lu slowly. The Dark Warlord smirked while his body still jerked with slivers of laughter still in him. "… I'll cut that smile from your face-" A powerful arm blocked his path like lightning. Sekhmet glared at Anubis. "Let me pass…" he ordered.

"… No."

"Dammit, man-" Anubis lifted his eyes sharply. Once deep blue irises that shone with immaculate kindness and strength became dark, hard, and as the color of blood. The whites of his eyes were now black. His entire arm quaked with anger and frustration while his breathing became heavily and his guiding virtue flashed wildly from gold to red. Sekhmet's eyes widened. _Not again…_ A gasp from Kaos made Anubis turn his head toward him. Cale was knelt beside him and removed the ancient warrior's helmet. Ivory hair stained with crimson fanned out upon the snow. Cale was doing everything he could to keep him awake. Kaos glanced up at Anubis. The dark eyes that he'd thought were gone from this world forever met his. Slow rivers of tears flooded his eyes. 

A cold wind swept around them and as it passed, the light in the old eyes faded…

_The hours pass so slowly- the life's slipping out of me_

No way's the night way- is there an out for me 

_My life's slipping out..._

_The night is done the bright eyes glare and now the time is come_

_Held back in my pitied world where everything's undone_

_A cold wind blows right through me in made a hollow shell_

_There's nothing left just ash remains enrich the soul, no soul, no soul_

Sarah McLachlan ~ "Out of the Shadows" ~Touch


	18. Out of the Shadows

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Eighteen: Out of the Shadows

Kayura bolted up right on the couch where Mia had placed her with a scream. She had suddenly fallen into a state of unconsciousness a few moments before. Mia had placed a blanket around her to help stop her shivering and a cool, damp cloth to stop the fevers. Kayura scanned the room swiftly while breathing heavily as if she had experienced a nightmare. After a moment, she breathed a sigh of relief and pulled her knees to her chest hugging them tightly and running her hands through her hair. "… Lady Kayura? Are you all right?" Yuli asked softly.

"… I don't know, boy…" she gasped through frightened tears. She lifted her head and wiped her eyes. "… What did you see?" Sakura asked.

"… I didn't see anything really. I only felt the images… He's… he's gone," she whispered.

"Who?"

"… Kaos-sama. He's dead…" she said louder. 

"Wh-what? Are-are you sure about that?!" Sakura exclaimed rising quickly from the floor. Kayura nodded slowly. Suiko's summoner began to pace the length of the woven rug. "H-he can't… He can't …" she cried and covered her mouth to stop her crying. She collapsed to the chair and gasped. Yuli crawled over to her and into her arms to offer some kind of comfort when he was also slipping. Kayura merely wept softly into Mia's shoulder. All Mia could think about was the rest of the boys. Were they in the same place as Kaos? If so, did that mean that they were dead as well?

*****

Ryo stopped in his flight from branch to branch. He looked up at the sky and turned around in the direction they had come from. The snow was falling in a heavy shower and it seemed to get heavier and thicker as the moments passed. Kento stopped also on the branch under him. "What's up, 'Yo?" he asked. 

"I don't know, but don't like it… How far are we to the house? I'm getting worried about Kayura and the others," he said as Kento climbed up to him. They noticed that Sage and Sai were also coming to see what was wrong. Rowen followed shortly after. "Hey, why are we stopping?" Sai demanded and glanced back over at Domo and Tori. The cold weather was getting to Rekka's summoner. "What aren't you telling us, Ryo?" Sage demanded.

"… I think… the girls, especially Tori, are going to be really upset when the others get home. Anubis and Tori are going to be even harder to control now…"

"_Excuse me_?!" Kento started. "What are you sayin', man?"

"… I just felt a huge drop in my energy. Y'know how Kaos was the father of our armors?" Ryo began. "… The Ancient's dead." Each warrior stiffened in shock and fell silent for a moment. A few bowed their head out of respect. Sage lifted his head and looked back down the path they had gone. Their footprints were all ready gone from the heavy snow shower. "… Something's not right…"

"That's what I don't like," Ryo said. "I felt a fall in energy, but a horrible power rise immediately after…" Sai banished his tears angrily and swallowed his sorrow.

"Should we go back?"

"… I don't think so. We don't want to have to deal with that power and Tori's reaction of her grandpa's death. We could lose her and our own lives… Whoever killed Kaos is still there. I think we should protect whatever we have left and deal with one problem at a time…" Rowen suggested. 

"Let's get them home then," Ryo said. He looked down at Tori and Domo who were growing more impatient by the minute. Kento was the first to take out his frustration and punched a large stone putting a large split down the center, before leaving in a heated walk. "What's wrong with Kento-kun?" Tori asked. "What's up?"

"Uh, let's get you and the other girls home first… We should tell you some stuff we figured out all together…" Ryo murmured. 

"Is it good or bad news?" Domo asked.

"… Depends on which side of the playin' field yer on, honey," Rowen said as he glanced over his shoulder. Domo frowned and followed the rest.

*****

Cale removed his helmet and tossed it aside quickly. "Kaos? Kaos?!" he called and held his face, slapping it gently. He saw the empty and bleak blue eyes stare blankly and lowered his head. "… He's gone…" he murmured sadly. Sekhmet turned his head sharply to him. "_What_?! No!" Dais lifted himself from the snow and crawled over to Cale who closed the eyes of their mentor. He grimaced and forced his vision to re-a-line with a great deal of pain in between his eyes. Cale glanced at him silently. "He's dead…" he repeated. Sekhmet re-sheathed his snake-fang sword and tossed the weapon aside before kneeling by the body of the Ancient One. "Kaos! Dammit! Don't you do this!!" he shouted. "Think of what you're leaving behind!! Think of-"

"Sekhmet. He's gone!!" Dais yelled and pulled him from his limp form. 

Anubis remained standing with his back to Fou-Lu as he watched his comrades in their loss of a man that they loved like a father forgotten. Fou-Lu's chuckle again reached his ears and he turned sharply. "'One down and one to go' ye human say," he laughed softly. He glanced at Sekhmet just as he charged with open claws at him. He smashed himself into an invisible barrier and fell into the snow with an angry snarl. "You, serpent emperor, art not worthy enough to avenge the old one's death…" Fou-Lu stated angrily and sent a ball of light into him, sending Sekhmet into a fit of convulsions. Dais and Cale suffered the same when they started from their spots and then Anubis. "I should kill all of you… Even the younger Ronins and those… girls…" He smiled and leered over Anubis who glared up at him from the ground as painful electrical currents ripped through him. He seemed to be only bound without my pain. That, and the fact that he wasn't screaming in agony caught the Warlord of Death's immediate attention. "I especially am fond of one in particular…" he sneered. Anubis eyes again flashed from blue to red and white to black. Fou-Lu ceased the torture of the other three and increased his on Anubis. "Hm, interesting… A half-breed oni," he murmured to himself. "Let us see the demon inside you!" he smiled and increased the intensity of power on him. The armor around Anubis' body vanished as a feral roar ripped from his vocal chords. With another, the electrical field shorted out on his body and he was crouched over on all fours breathing heavily and gasping. His shirt has been reduced to shreds and hung in bloody rags from his back and shoulders not by just Fou-Lu's energy alone; his size had increased to nearly three times. His body steamed and smoked from the intense heat and slightly charred skin. He groaned and shook his head. He lifted his eyes, which were nearly concealed by his auburn hair, which hung frayed and ragged over his throbbing shoulder muscles. His eyes were now black and red again. His hands, which had become claws, dug into the earth as he stood on wary legs, facing Fou-Lu. 

"… The beast is free once more…" Fou-Lu smiled as he noted the long fangs that seemed to gleam in their own deadly light. He began to walk towards his new form slowly. Anubis responded and backed away angrily before crouching slightly, teeth bared and a feral snarl rising in his throat. He scanned the clearing swiftly: his comrades some were unconscious while one other was watching him in utter shock, but made no movement. He saw the body of Kaos and stared at it, eyes wide and confused. There was something different about his body than from the others that were also not moving. He crouched down beside the Ancient's body and touched it gently with a clawed hand. He shook it gently and whimpered when he did not wake. A started away from it in sudden fear and turned his head sharply at Fou-Lu. He backed up defensively as the Warlord approached him with a smile. "_I_ killed him," he began. "_I_ took his life… _Me_-" He was cut off by the claw that bore through his armored plate and exited out his back. Reaching up reflexively, Fou-Lu snatched Anubis' throat and squeezed, but that did not keep the former Warlord of Cruelty from taking his head in both of his hands and twisting Fou-Lu's neck sharply with a sickening crack. Fou-Lu fell limp and Anubis yanked his arm free from his chest and let him fall to the ground in a heap. Anubis let out a roar and retreated to the side of the Ancient. 

Cale had never sat more still or had been so quiet in all of his life through the sudden terror that he felt. He stared at Anubis and his beast-like behavior stunned. He had seen this one other time and that was when he and the other two older warlords had pushed him beyond his limits of rage. It took nearly thirty dark priests to restrain him along with the aid of Talpa himself. Even then it was difficult to control him. Dais was nearly killed in the process. A lingering thought remained in the aftermath of his reminiscence: was there enough of the goodness in Anubis to keep him from going completely berserk? Cale looked at the dead body of Fou-Lu and then back over to Anubis. Anubis leaned over the body of the Ancient and again tried to rouse the man. Sounds emerged from his throat, but his mind was too hazed with his ogrish blood to form comprehensive speech. A pang of sadness rose within Cale as his internal instincts of his own wolven blood began as he recognized it when he heard and saw Anubis' voice and actions. Suddenly Anubis glanced up and saw Cale watching him intently. He crept towards him slowly and cautiously. Cale made no movement as he was approached. He simply just stared at the demon eyes that bore into his. He swallowed hard as he came within a foot of him. Anubis looked down next to him at the red cape spilling out onto the snow. He sat in the snow and just stared at it. It took Cale a few moments to register what the deranged man wanted. Very carefully, so as not to alarm him in any way, he removed the cape and backed away from him slowly. Sure enough, Anubis snatched it and returned to the Ancient's body before covering him with it. Cale's heart sank as he saw him sit and watch the Ancient with his knees drawn to his chest like a child. He lowered his eyes and sighed before glancing at Fou-Lu's body.

It was gone. No trace of blood remained.

Cale scrambled to his feet, surprising Anubis greatly. He snarled at him and backed away quickly. "He's gone!!" he exclaimed and searched the clearing hastily.

A scream from Anubis erupted in his ears and he whipped around to see Fou-Lu digging into his back with his claws. The warlord grinned evilly and threw him into another tree, severing it. "… That actually hurt for a bit," he smirked and cracked his neck. "An admirable attempt, however futile. I am no ordinary demon…" he added. Cale drew his weapon. "I do not wish to kill you all… yet, but I can arrange that… Thou seem so eager to die…" he smirked before turning to Cale and sending his no-dachi high into a tree. An invisible blast of energy knocked Cale on his back as he lay powerless watching his comrade be tortured for the longest five minutes in his life and all he could do was listen and watch the screams and laughter.

*****

"Mi-san, Mi-san, MI-SAANN!!!" Kiku exclaimed and ran down the hall and into the living room. A smile was on her face. "They're baaack!" she sang. She tugged on Mia's skirt from where she and Kayura relaxed on the couch. Kayura had finally fallen asleep. "Shh, Kiku… Kayura is sleeping," she hushed and followed her into the hall. She found the others returning through the temporary doorway that was a sheet. She saw Sage and Rowen. "What happened to you all?!" she gasped softly.

"… How's Kayura? Is she safe?" Ryo asked over her question. He received a silent nod. "More or less… It's the Ancient-" she began as soon as Tori and Domo entered to house. Ryo stopped her with his hand. "We know… at least most of us do," he murmured. "The others when to go find him and help… Something doesn't feel right and I think it'll be very rough from here on out…" he added in a whisper as he lead her away from the others and into the kitchen. "I'll be right back guys…" he said. "Kento and Sai? D'ya think you can find something to patch the door with? That sheet's not gonna cut the wind…" Ryo said.

"Sure, bud… C'mon Sai. Help me get the ping-pong table…" Kento said and headed for the porch. Kiku stared up at Sage. She saw the dried blood on his face and hugged his armored leg. "What's wrong, Kiku?" he asked and kneeled down.

"You have a boo-boo," she said shyly. She kissed his face and smiled. "All better!" Tori picked her little sister up.

"Were you good for Mia and Kayura?" she asked.

"Yes… 'Ri-san?"

"Hm?"

"'Jiisan says to be nice to Anubi-chan…" she said and hugged her. Tori fell silent and hugged her back. "C'mon, Kiku. Let's put you to bed. Yuli will read to you okay?"

"I want Cale-kun to read to me!" she smiled. 

"Cale's not here now…" she said and left up the stairs with her.

Domo sighed heavily turned to Sage after Tori was out of earshot. "He's dead, isn't he?" she asked. Sage and Rowen stiffened. 

"I'm sure he's fin-" Sage began.

"Sage. Please. Don't make this harder by filling my head and the others' with false hope," she whispered. Sage paused and gave her a silent nod.

"Yeah… we all felt it a few hours ago. There was also a surge of energy that didn't feel right. We have no idea if the others are all right either… Frankly, I'm worried out of my mind…" The emotionless face of hers slowly began to waver with the incoming feelings that bombarded her. He gently reached up and grasped her shoulder. She gasped, torn from her thoughts and wrenched her arm away before fleeing up the stairs. Sage watched her go. He turned and faced Rowen before punching the marble floor with an angry snarl. "C'mon Sage… Let's keep the look out for them."

"Why? They're probably all dead anyway…" he snapped and headed up the stairs to his and Rowen's room. "We're all going to hell," he added loudly.

*****

"Pathetic… This is hardly amusing for me anymore," Fou-Lu glowered and delivered a blow to Anubis' abdomen. As expected, the transformed Ronin moaned in pain and clutched his bleeding and sliced stomach. Fou-Lu kicked him in anger and disappointment. "… not even the strength to scream either…" Fou-Lu glanced back towards the lifeless body of the Ancient One and then to Anubis who lay whimpering and coughing on the ground. "… Beast," the warlord spat. He saw Cale propping himself up against a fallen tree with barely enough strength to stay conscious. He watched as his comrade's torture ended shortly after his own. Cale's dark, midnight blue eyes narrowed at his enemy's tiredly, however with deadly intentions that intrigued the other man… if such a thing could be deemed the name. Even through the snowstorm that blew blades of ice hard and painfully against his cheeks, a glare that would freeze even the darkest pits in Hell met the intense eyes of Fou-Lu defiantly. This man… demon… would dearly pay for his actions even if it took ten thousand centuries of training to do so. Fou-Lu stalked to the fallen warrior surrounded by his unconscious friends not even fazed by the intense wind that blew. "… Welcome to Talpa's Winter of Hell," he whispered. The wind swallowed up his voice yet it seemed to carry directly into Cale's heart and he heard it as clear as a bell in a silent room. He backed away as the wind swiftly intensified and the ice cut into Cale's skin. When he looked up, the warlord was gone. 

*****

Rowen stared out the living room window for some signs of his missing friends. The storm was getting worse and worse with each passing moment of the clock. It seemed like only minutes in between chimes at the top of the hour of the grandfather clock in the library. Now it chimed two in the morning. He yawned and glared. _Fatigue at last rears it's ugly head… Dammit guys where the fuck are you?_ A loud snore from Kento startled him as it erupted from the hallway where he and Sai stood guard. Rowen frowned. _Some watchdog… He's fucking sleeping! Sai must be too then, although, it would take a bloody miracle for him to sleep. Even I can't sleep with that crap._

"Rowen-kun?" He turned his head to find Nasake and Whiteblaze in the hallway peering in at him. She was still in her battle gear. " 'Sake? What are you doin' up?" he demanded harshly in a whisper. She entered and sat across from him on the cushioned window seat. Whiteblaze lay at her feet. "I found him outside my door. He was scratching at it…" she said. "I don't think he has to pee… Maybe he's lonely?" Rowen chuckled at her. "Nah, he can use the bath tub. Ryo trained him to work the knob and the showerhead to wash away his… mess in case he was unable to go outside, like now…" Nasake scratched his fur. "Wow, Whiteblaze… You're pretty smart!"

"Kento's tries to teach him to spell… He saw this bird do it on T.V… He's such a dork," he laughed. Rowen set his hanyaku down next to him on the floor. "Hey, I thought you were allergic to cats?"

"I was, but… I guess I got used to it…" she smiled softly. "Anyway, I actually passed by your room and you weren't in there. Sage was, but…"

"Sleeping?"

"No, sitting up on his bed."

"Meditating then," he concluded. _Man, Sage meditating instead of sleeping? Things must seem bad…_

"Something wrong, Rowen? You look exhausted."

"I am… I'm waitin' for the guys… Sai and-"

"ZzzcandycanesZzZ… ZzzpeanutbutterchipsZzz… SPORK!"

"-Kento are in the hallway…" he finished. Nasake giggled and rubbed her arms. "You cold?" he asked and reached for her arm. She yanked herself away quickly, causing Rowen to do the same. "I… I'm fine. Thanks…" she whispered. Rowen again reached towards her and literally watched her cringe and start away. He reached past her and pulled the blanket off of the chair beside her. "Here. Use this if you're cold… Kaos should have told you guys to pack lots of winter stuff." She took it slowly and wrapped herself with it. He leaned back and stared at her while she looked lost in her own thoughts. _Something is definitely wrong here…_ he thought. "You don't have to be scared now, 'Sake… I think the Dynasty's gonna back off for a while, at least until tomorrow." He glanced at her briefly. She didn't even acknowledge what he said. "'Sake?" 

"Hm? Oh, sorry… What did you say?" Rowen crossed his arms and peered outside once more. "Nothing, 'Sake. Don' worry about it…" he murmured. His brow furrowed in thought. Then something caught his eyes. Stood quickly, rousing the tiger from a heavy sleep and looked more closely. A flash of red whipping in the wind that followed a shadow stood at the edge of the woods. "OH SHIT!" he yelled and scrambled into the hallway. His armor was on in the two seconds it took to clear Whiteblaze and the distance between where he sat and the hall. "Sai!! Sai!! They're back!"

"Wh-what?!" he answered groggily. 

ZzzTurkeyzzz…" The sound of metal on metal made a loud noise followed by a:

"Wake _UP_ fat ass! They're back!!" Rowen snapped and kicked him in the leg again to rouse the young man from blocking the large ping-pong ball table that was currently the door. "Mnn Ow…What?!"

Rowen tore the 'door' from the doorway and stopped. The snow trapped the doorway by nearly three feet of snow blocking the way. "Fuck!" he snapped and began creating a path. Sai and Kento followed him to three very exhausted and battered warriors. Two of the three carried what looked to be like sacs of potatoes. Rowen's eyes met Cale's through the shredding ice storm. All he heard was the howling wind and saw his mouth moving, but no sound came. Kento lead Dais inside. Sai took one of the 'sacs' from Sekhmet and lead him into the house. Rowen trudged towards him and saw a large thing wrapped in his red cape. Anubis and the Ancient were missing. Cale shook his head gravely and followed Rowen into the house…

*****

Mia bolted upright in bed with a scream. A muffled clamor met her ears and she snatched her robe and slipped downstairs. She followed the sounds into the living room. Ryo was hurriedly adding several logs to an all ready blazing fire and Sage was bent over one side of the couch while Sai was kneeling beside a mass of large quilts and a whit patch of hair. Another bundle was passed out on the armchair with Kayura at his feet. His entire body was shrouded with heavy blankets. Kayura hastily rubbed his legs to get the feeling back into them. The only one conscious was Cale and he sat in front of the fire with Wildfire doing all he could to help him. Mia scrambled down the stairs and tripped down the last five. Crying out she silenced herself by biting her lip and forcing herself to get to her feet and help them. The others whipped around during her tumble and Sage was beside her in that same instant. She shoved him away and snarled. "No! Damn it! Them… I'm fine!" she ordered defiantly and clenched her teeth in pain as she knelt down in front of Cale. His eyes met hers gently and almost like a child's: frightened, sad, worried, and lost… Tears leaked from them as she set eyes on his. Wrapped inside that blanket and shivering furiously, he whimpered and fell against her chest, trying desperately not to have her see him cry. Her arms folded around him and she buried her face into his tangled mass of blue hair hushing him silently. Ryo watched them closely and poked at the fire. "That's as hot as I can get it guys. Do we have anymore blankets?"

"The ones upstairs in the bedrooms, but the girls are asleep," Sai said and bundled a very disoriented Dais. "If they wake up now… it's not a good idea… trust me…"

"Where's the Ancient?" Mia asked after all ready knowing the answer. Rowen returned from upstairs and found that all eyes were on him. "What?"

"Tell her man…" Kento sighed and poured more warm water into the bowl in front of Kayura. "Not too hot, Hardrock… We don't want his feet to burn."

"Sorry…" Rowen saw Mia consoling a distraught yet silent Cale.

"… He's upstairs in his room. I put him in his bed… He's still warm," he said and returned to the side of Sekhmet, who was waking slightly. Sage straightened and stared at him in shock. "That's impossible if he's been dead for hours…" he breathed.

"You go up there and touch him! It's like he's sleeping…" he said softly. All was silent for a long while and slowly each of them came to.

Kayura pulled back the red cape that wrapped his head and gasped, backing away quickly. His hair had grown even longer and two pearly white fangs peeked out from the flesh of his lips. He slept soundly. His face was innocent, despite the intense profile he had gained. "Duuuude!" Kento whispered in amazement. "What the fuck happened?!" Cale lifted his head from Mia's shoulder and cleared his throat. "We have to chain him, NOW."

*****

Cale slowly backed away from Anubis as he lay upon the hardwood floor of the attic. Mia peered over the railing of the staircase that lead up to the attic. She slipped behind Dais and slid a blanket over his broad shoulders. He turned and smiled softly before looking back at Anubis. "Think it'll hold him?" he whispered.

"He'll never break those chains, however… I'm not too confident about the wood," Cale replied. Ryo switched on a light. Dais and Cale groaned with a splitting headache pounding in between their eyes. "Sorry… What's going on you guys?" Cale shrugged. "Nearest I can tell, the death of the Ancient… enraged him and… he changed…" He ran his eyes over the claws and torn jeans that his muscles ripped. He lay on his stomach and slept soundly. Mia stepped towards him slowly. "Gods, he must be freezing," she murmured. Dais snatched her away.

"Don't! He doesn't know who you are or any of us… He could kill you! We must wait until it wears off…" he said. Mia frowned and wrenched herself away from him.

"Me staying with all of you can kill me too, Dais. I'm _not_ going to let him freeze to death!!" she snapped and started again with a heavy blanket in her arms. Carefully she crept towards him and laid the blanket over him warmly. He stirred and huddled into a ball. He did not wake, but seemed to whimper in his sleep. "… Poor dear," she breathed.

"Has this happened before?" Rowen asked. Cale, Sekhmet, and Dais exchanged glances and fell silent. Finally Dais spoke. "Yes… A while before we attacked this world… We didn't like Anubis one bit… We found amusement in taunting him. It was always about either his mother or father… his woman… his human compassion that we lacked… One day… he snapped… I was nearly killed," he explained.

"Since then… Sekhmet has been the only one with balls enough to insult him," Cale added. "We didn't want that to happen again… He was so powerful, especially for a half-breed… It was strange. A few days later, he retuned to normal with no recollection of what happened…" Kayura wrapped a long string of prayer beads around him in a box like formation quietly. "If he does break the wood, he can't go any where," she said. "Hopefully, he'll return to normal by morning… We should all be careful and not anger him or upset him… He could go ballistic again…"

There was a sound on the steps and Sai turned around and saw Nasake on the stairs. "Love, what are you doing up!?" he whispered harshly. "It's not safe…"

"Masaki-san's dead?" she asked as she stood from where she sat. Sai saw her tears and then felt his own come. "… Yes…" Rowen met her on the steps looked back at her for her to follow. "C'mon, hon… You need to rest. I'll make you something to help you sleep. We'll explain it in the morning…"

Kento folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "What are we gonna do about Kiku and Tori? She's gonna fucking go ballistic when she finds out… No doubt try to kill Red over there…" he murmured.

"… Tell her the truth," Sekhmet said tiredly. "Can we talk about this tomorrow?"


	19. Lonely Blood

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Nineteen: Lonely Blood

*Warning! Extreme yaoi! Read at your own discretion!*

Mia leaned over Cale's sleeping form carefully and laid a palm across his dampened forehead. _Fever…_ She sighed to herself when she realized that the intense warmth had not subsided in the least. She glanced across the hall into Sekhmet's room. His door had been left open so she could keep a vigil on the both of them. The two warriors had fallen into fever several hours after they returned. The training she had received in a medical course in college seemed useless. She couldn't figure out why the treatments hadn't worked. She had hoped it was nothing but a chill, but her mind was painfully settling on the latter: that their mentality was in dire need of care and comfort. 

Cale murmured restlessly in his sleep and began to toss about. Mia steadied his shoulders gently and reached for his hand to calm him. Instead of returning to a sound slumber, he awoke, dazed. Mia turned the key on the lantern to brighten the room slightly. The generator had frozen over and they all had to wait until morning to thaw it. She wondered if it was possible to thaw something like that.

She smiled down at the exhausted man and stroked the sapphire locks affectionately. He blinked and then smiled weakly. "Am I… dead?" he whispered. "… This must be heaven," he breathed. Mia laughed softly and continued the gentle caress upon his forehead. "No, Cale… You're in your bed."

"… Damn," he sighed and closed his eyes. He stroked the soft skin of her hand with his thumb. "… What happened?"

"You passed out on the kitchen floor a few days ago… You have a high fever too," she answered in a soft voice. Cale groaned.

"… So that's why my head feels like an ogre trampled on it…"

"I've tried everything to get your fever and Sekhmet's down, but nothing is working…" she sighed. "I'm sorry you feel sick, Cale… Sekhmet is the same way, but he's been in and out of sleep. He is recovering. It's you I'm worried about." He smiled softly and cracked open a dark blue eye. "Heh… I feel better all ready now that… I know you've been watching over me," he chuckled, but snarled as a sharp pain cut through his skull. Mia smiled gently and touched his forehead and neck with a dampened cloth. "Easy now, Cale…" she warned. He shivered.

"Why is it so bloody cold in here?" he demanded hoarsely.

"The generator's frozen… the other's can't thaw it until tomorrow when there's light. That means…"

"Noo heeaat… Blast… I can't imagine how Sekhmet is feeling." Mia chuckled and pulled the comforter over him warmly. "When he's awake, he complains about the cold. Sai swiped all the extra blankets in the house for him… It was murder keeping this one… but I saved it just for you," she smiled. His eyes opened slightly just enough for her to see the dark cerulean depths meet hers. He simply just gazed at her sleepily without a word. Mia felt his hand enclose tighter around her slender hand. "… How is Anubis?"

"… He's still up in the attic. He's been in and out of sleep as well. Anyone who tried to get near him got clawed. Dais took a pretty deep gash in his leg earlier today. He's okay now. The ward is still holding, although, Lady Kayura isn't sure how long it will hold."

"… And Rekka?" he asked.

"… She hasn't spoken a word or eaten in days. I found her upstairs with Anubis just staring each other down this morning. I think she's still up there. The strange thing is that he won't attack her… probably inner guilt. How long do you think he'll stay like this?" Cale closed his eyes.

"… I don't know. All we can do is wait…" he murmured. His eyes opened again after a pause. "Lady Mia?"

"What?" she smiled and turned down the oil lamp. Cale struggled to sit up. "Cale, don't-" He shot her a look that silenced her until he was sitting upright in bed. The sheet and blankets fell from his bare chest and he physically tightened as the bite of cold air met his skin. Mia flushed at the sight. The man was magnificent in all aspects. Slowly he reached for her face and cupped it gently in his heated hand. He pulled her face to his and kissed the side of her mouth tenderly. "Thank you…" he whispered. Without another word, he returned underneath the bed covers. Mia swallowed hard and touched her face where he had kissed her. _Cale…_ In another instant, she heard the man's soft snore once more. She stared down at the sleeping Ronin for a long time. She glanced at the clock, which read a little after one in the morning. With a sigh, she covered him warmly and leaned down gently and placed a tender kiss on his brow before standing and letting him sleep. 

*****

Nasake sighed heavily and banged her head against the keyboard. "Nothing… I can't find anything about this new armor. You must've imagined it, Dais," she said. Dais looked up from a book with agitation. "No, no, no… I didn't imagine this. It was too real… Trust me, I know what's real and fake… Keep trying." He turned to Rowen who was on his own search. "Any luck, Strata?"

"None and with the generator's power at half, I'm doing the best that I can… but I found a lot of pop-up porn sites, if you're interested," he smirked and kept his eyes on the screen. "'Amour videos'… 'Amorous girls'… A-whoa _that's_ disgusting," he frowned. "Eww, Rowen…" Nasake scolded. "Be serious, will you?"

"I am! It's not MY fault that this is all I get!" Dais peered over his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow. "Now, I know you mortals like to play god sometimes… but that's just blasphemous! She _has_ to have back complications… " he muttered with a light flush. Rowen chuckled at the older man's expression. "Welcome to the world wide web of silicone… They even got pills to enhance, heh, _you know_." An exasperated sigh left Nasake followed by the harsh clicking of the mouse in agitation. Dais gave Rowen a whap upside his head. "You idiot… Look. You misspelled 'armor'…" he said and pointed to the screen. Rowen rubbed his head and winced before looking. "Whaat… Oops…" he laughed. Dais shook his head and retreated to Nasake's side to watch her. "And they call _you _the smart one…" he chuckled.

"Guys? How do you spell 'amaranthine'? Maybe I can look in the dictionary for a clue. Mia's grandpa probably had it hidden away. Cause there's this one part that I need a password to access it… I doubt Mia knows it's here though." Rowen typed while he spelled.

"A-m-a-r-a-n-t-h-i-n-e. But I think you should ask Mia."

"Why? We can do this ourselves. She has enough of which to worry," Dais said. Rowen rolled his eyes and returned to surfing.

"Okay lessee… '_Amaranthine: adjective… One. Undying or unfading, like the legendary amaranth. Two. Of a dark reddish purple color…_' That's weird…"

"Sounds like the flower… Look up amaranth next," Dais suggested.

"_'Amaranth: noun… One. A plant with long drooping heads of small green, red, or purple flowers. Two. A flower, that, according to legend, never fades._' That's kinda cool." Dais kneeled beside her. "Bring up the password input… I want to try something."

"Done."

"Type in… 'Flower'."

_"Access Denied."_

"… 'Legend'."

_"Access Denied."_

"… 'Eternity'."

_"Access Denied."_ Dais groaned.

"… Damn twentieth century technology," he spat to himself.

"We aren't getting anywhere…" 

"Rooowen! I need to talk to you-" Mia stopped in the doorway of the study. "What are you guys doing?" Dais immediately straightened and stood. "And on my computer no less…" She was always surprising him now. He attempted to hide the blush creeping to his cheeks. "Uh, well you see-"

"Mia, we need a password to access a file that might help us out. Dais had a dream about the Ancient and a new armor…" Mia began to pick up the books from the floor where Dais had left them. She set them on the desk and took the keyboard. She typed then returned the collection of books to their shelves.

_"Access Granted… Hello Mia."_

"Grandfather always used my name as a password… It made everything a lot simpler for him. Who can remember fifty passwords?!" she laughed. 

"Who's the smart one _now_, Dais?" Rowen said smugly. Dais frowned, but then smiled.

"Mia… _dear_… I asked Strata to help our search through the Internet and _guess_ what he found?" he asked in a tone that mocked his surprise as he slid his arm around her shoulder and guided her to Rowen's laptop.

"What?" she asked.

Rowen shrank back in his chair as Dais turned the laptop around…

*****

Rattling chains started Tori from her light doze as she slept on a dusty couch that was rather dangerously close to his ward. She fell off sprawled onto the hard wooden floor. "Oww…" She clutched the back of her head in pain. More rattling of the chains pulled her attention towards the trapped warrior. Again he was clawing at the floor and banging on the walls of the ward as he thrashed about. It had been almost a week since the Ancient's death and Anubis' transformation. Every day she snuck up to the attic and just watched him from her haven on the couch. She wasn't sure why she did it. All she knew that it made her feel slightly better. It gave her something to do. However, she never said a word to him. She would only stare at him for almost hours on end. Today she had fallen asleep on the couch before he woke. 

Tori's heart jumped into her throat as the sound of his skull crashed against the invisible wall. His back had been to her. He fell back with an angry snarl, a track of blood rolling down his beast-like visage from the impact. He was back on all fours as if it hadn't happened. He was about to try again, when he froze and sniffled the air. He scanned the dim attic slowly and then turned. As soon as he saw her sitting almost within arms reach of her he stilled and just stared through the shaggy and dirty auburn locks that had grown over his eyes, but they were not as hard as earlier. Instead they were more frightened than angry. Aware of his she slowly crawled closer to him. He etched back and began to snarl in a low tone. His eyes turned harsh and full of rage in disapproval of her motions. Tori frowned and glared at him darkly. _You moron… I'm not going to hurt you! _Her eyes sparked with fire for an instant, making him silent and still. She glanced at an open wound upon his leg. It was growing swollen and on the verge of infection. _Eww… That needs to get looked at._ Not able to halt her instincts, she reached for his leg slowly. The tattered jeans were split at the seams and offered some kind of shield for the wound. She watched his eyes for him to react violently again and prepared to return with another fire blazed glare. As soon as she took her eyes from him, he snatched her arms and pinned her to the floor. She opened her mouth to scream and he covered it roughly. She struggled to free herself. _I'm gonna die!_ He clamped down harder with his claws digging into her skin until tears of pain and fear coursed down her cheeks. She finally stopped struggling and instantly he yanked her to his chest and buried his face in her neck. A soft whimper left his throat and he gripped her sweater tightly. Tori froze and listened, as the whimper became a low moan that was heartbreaking. _Is he… crying?_

"… K… Kaaa….os…" he moaned sadly. Tori caught her breath and felt her bottled up sorrow crash through her and race down her face. She sat there as he clutched her against his massive frame saying and doing nothing. She just listened to his soft wails. As soon as she touched his back with a cold hand, he fell limp against her and crashed to the floor. She stared at his body shocked. He had returned to normal. 

In the dimly lit upper room, she could see his fresh tears catch what little light was available. She caught her breath as she saw that it had not been tears, but blood.

She scrambled down the stairs to find Sage.

*****

Fou-Lu twirled the ends of Zeal's amber hair in his clawed hand, as they lay exhausted from their nightly encounter. He felt her gentle hand running along the side of his abdomen as she lay atop him. He felt her sigh heavily and halt her movements. "Something wrong, my dear?" he inquired deeply.

"No, my lord… It's nothing important," she lied and stared at the flames that still burned on the candles surrounding the bedchamber. She glared at them darkly. "Emperor Talpa wishes for me to go to the Ronins in a few days… I am to bring Badamon's latest concoction and kill their precious Ancient girl… How I hate her and her clan," she confessed and sat up. Her body gleamed, still damp from the sweat of their lovemaking. Fou-Lu smirked and still toyed with her hair. "Ye sound like ye art not looking forward to it… 'Tis not like thee…"

"… I- I know. It's silly…"

"You art afraid to go?" he asked and sat up slowly. He received a slow nod and knew. "… Ah… I see… 'Him'…"

"At least that girl is gone," she stopped when Fou-Lu's expression caught her attention. "She's alive, isn't she?"

"Very much-" Zeal abruptly leapt out of bed. In a burst of bright blue flames, she vanished from sight. Fou-Lu sighed and stretched before sliding out of bed. He slid his robe on and stepped into the shadows of the bedchamber. "Fool," he muttered and reappeared in the corridor leading down into the dungeon. He summoned his armor as he met the guards at the gate. They stopped his entry with great hesitance and nervousness. Fou-Lu's eyes darkened. "Let me pass…"

"My-my lord… No one is to see Lord Raiko, but the high priest and His Majesty," he said in a shaken voice. The other guard did not utter a word as bullets of sweat formed on both men's bodies. "… May I ask why?"

"… Raiko has not received punishment from his crimes upon Lady Managi… He is awaiting it and no one can see him until-" Fou-Lu narrowed his eyes slightly and the first soldier grasped for his neck and gasped helplessly. "… Mine master has directed me to commence the punishment as I see fit…"

"Emperor Talpa didn't inform us about-" the second soldier dropped to his knees, choking to death. "I did not say that Emperor Talpa ordered me… These come from a… darker power… far greater than Talpa…" He opened the door and released them. "No one enters until I leave. Is that clear?" he ordered over his shoulder.

"Y-yes sir!"

"A-Aye…"

Fou-Lu descended the slick stone steps of the dungeon that twisted around the stone column further he went. Slowly his eyes became accustomed to the darkness and the pungent stench of the dark halls grew stronger with the dampness of the still air. Within the time of descent, moisture collected upon his armor and hair nearly drenching him. The halls were so dimly lit that he could barely see the guards and the cells and chambers of which they guarded. His footsteps echoed in the dark corridors as he drew closer towards Raiko's cell, in which he deduced by the number and manner of armored guards that watched the door. The guards straightened as he made his presence known. "C-commander!" one of them managed to say and collapsed to one knee. The others followed in suit all equally aware of his power. "… Is he awake?" Fou-Lu inquired.

"Lord Raiko? Y-yes… Is it time for-" Fou-Lu unlocked the large iron-like door with a lift of his hand and opened it. His hands returned to his back and he stood in the doorway staring at the silhouette of the chained warrior. "… Whatever ye hear, do not enter this chamber, understood?" he ordered.

"_Yes sir_!!" Fou-Lu stepped inside and the heavy door closed behind him slowly. Raiko lifted his head from where he stood and turned to face his visitor. He scowled and turned his back on him. His hair hung to his waist ragged and mussed. His tail lashed about wildly in an agitated manner. "Why are you here? Emperor Talpa forbids it." Fou-Lu stepped toward him slowly. "He sent me for thine sentence for the crimes ye committed against Managi…" He watched Raiko lean against the cell's wall of stone. "Let's get it over with… What is it? Ten thousand lashes? The abyss? Or perhaps the cross? I hear the only one that survived that was the Warlord of Venom…" he spat sarcastically. 

"… The Ancient One is dead," he said. Raiko's head shot up quickly.

"Truly?! What of the lady Ancient and the-"

"Soon…" he paused and stepped closer. "Was it worth it?" he asked.

"… Feh… of course," he chuckled. "Resistance excites me…" He paused and straightened. "Does she live?" he asked suddenly over his shoulder.

"Aye… For now…" he replied stretched his arm to the wall, blocking his only escape. Raiko felt his breath on the back of his neck as he pulled the long hair away. He shivered and dug his claws into the wall as lips caressed the nape of his neck. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back. Fou-Lu grabbed his large arms in an almost crushing grip and yanked him around, trapping him against the wall with his strong arms and his own body. Raiko's breath was heavy in his sudden excitement. Fou-Lu's armored hand reached up and gathered a lock of damp hair in his fingers. He smiled much to Raiko's comfort. "… The Emperor suggested… this?" His voice had grown low and husky and practically gasped the question. Fou-Lu's lips descended upon his and stopped any further speech. He buried his claws deep within his hair, mouth hungry and slightly punishing as the sweetness of feral blood touched his tongue as his tiny fangs pricked the edges of his lower lip. Raiko groaned blissfully against his mouth as the feel of his leader's now nude body against him heated up his flesh. Even through the thin and tattered rags of his prisoner's raiments it was enough to send him over the edge. 

Fou-Lu tore his mouth away roughly and snatched the cloth separating them. He tore it easily free, pushing it back and tossing it away, revealing the scarred and stone chiseled chest beneath it. "… Not even the Warlord of Venom would survive this unscathed," Fou-Lu spat and claimed his mouth roughly again. With an inarticulate growl, Raiko threw Fou-Lu to the dust covered ground. A half pained, half-feral growl emanated from Fou-Lu's throat as he grinned wickedly letting his eyes roam the hardness and strength of his tight body. Unable to stop himself, Fou-Lu slid his palm to the front of Raiko's stomach, dragging his claws lightly against the heated skin and wandering farther down erupting a pleasure moan from him, while the other journeyed upwards, entangling strong fingers in the lavender tousled hair. Fou-Lu tightened his grip and yanked back almost too roughly, exposing the pale throat and extracting a pleased groan from the enthralled warrior as his lips and heated tongue bathed his skin. As if Raiko's voice actually had ordered him to, Fou-Lu's fangs devoured the exposed flesh hungrily, drawing dark sweet blood with gentle grazes from the razor sharp points. Raiko moaned again and ground his hips into his massaging hand. Fou-Lu captured the gasp in a forceful kiss and rolled the slightly smaller man onto his back. He plunged his tongue deep into Raiko's mouth, swallowing whatever sounds that poured from his throat. He bit down accidentally on his lower lip, drawing the sweet blood again, as claws dragged down the light toned flesh of his back and grasped his grinding hips tightly in his hands. Raiko hissed in pain, but ignored it as he felt the pains of arousal being held too long. A large hand began to pump in a slow and steady rhythm that tormented his senses. He nearly screamed in pleasure when the calloused clawed hands rubbed and massaged him as if he were made of clay. He bit savagely at his throat, lapping the trickles of the saccharine fluid that flowed down his neck hungrily. Time seemed to drag on until the heat and wetness of Fou-Lu's mouth consumed him. He gasped as the roughness of his tongue caressed and slid against the hardness in an agonizingly slow pace. 

Raiko's eyes opened slightly. Even in the pitch-black room he could find the heavy, muscular outline of his lover nestled in between his thighs. It was almost too much for him to bear as he grasped the ivory locks in his claws and breathed his name. This torture was pushing him to the brink, then he stopped. Raiko whimpered in protest and grunted when he found himself face down on the cool stone floor. He let out a deep snarl and clawed savagely at the ground, seemingly begging for release in his moans. Fou-Lu clamped down on one shoulder and placed himself at his entrance, while grasping the tail that thrashed wildly, and slid inside of the beast man's tight flesh. Raiko hissed in pure pleasure and thrust himself against the entire length of his commander, impatient as ever for release. He was nearly paralyzed with ecstasy. He was touching all the right spots inside him. Moaning loudly he pushed back defiantly into Fou-Lu's painstaking and thorough thrusts, pulling him deeper into him with each one. His hips lifted off the ground and braced himself on all fours.

Fou-Lu felt his mind haze as he glided in and out of his tight flesh. He grabbed his strong hips in both hands and increased his thrusting, his own breath becoming heavy and hot. He leaned over his arched back and hooked on arm around his stomach, crushing him to his chest. Raiko practically snarled as he continued in a too slow of pace. Fou-Lu's breath became more and more heavy from the strain of going so painfully slow with him, but the moans of pain and pleasure was more than worth it and the feral demon was even in for a bigger surprise.

He slid his arm farther down and over his firm and muscular stomach and teasing the tender area's curls with his claws. Raiko glanced down then tipped his head back in protest when it lingered so close… He bit his lip, drawing blood and dug his hips harder into Fou-Lu's slow grind. He gasped as his punisher quickened his pace, pulling nearly all the way out and all the way inside of him. He cried out as Fou-Lu wrapped his hand around his throbbing length. The calloused hand began to pump him again slowly. He grasped Fou-Lu's arm and clawed him for more. Raiko felt torn between pushing into punisher's pumping hand or to grind his hips faster and harder against the enormous length. He screamed out Fou-Lu's name and increased the thrusting that was all ready at a tiring speed.

Fou-Lu grinned tiredly. The thoughts and sensations that Raiko gave as he imagined the cries and the slick heat that rubbed the whole length of him sent him over the edge. He pounded harder into Raiko and pumped his hand faster over the entire feral's piece. Raiko felt wave after wave of pleasure drown his senses. The wave built higher and higher, but never fell. It was all he could do to find the strength to keep up with the pace and hold himself up. He cried out to Fou-Lu to go faster and harder and he could do nothing but oblige to it. He gripped him even tighter as his hand pulled on the hot flesh in his palm.

Raiko was on the brink of insanity. The hard but long thrusts impaling him along with the rough hand massaging his entire length pulled him to his peak. Fou-Lu ran his hand over him once more and Raiko let out a roar as the tsunami crashed down on him. Fou-Lu did not stop. Raiko convulsed around him, the tightness of his buttocks clenching around his throbbing length. Fou-Lu rode into his own orgasm bucked against the still moaning feral demon.

Panting heavily, Fou-Lu pulled out of him slowly and summoned the armor. Raiko turned on his back and gasped. "M-my lord…" he moaned.

"… A-aye?"

"I thought you… came here to… punish me…" Fou-Lu grinned in the darkness.

"I did… Lady Managi?" he called. The cell lighted a dim teal and she emerged from the shadows, eyeing the spent warlord darkly. Raiko chuckled deeply. "Is my sentence: 'mate until death'?" Fou-Lu pulled the young woman close and kissed her forehead sweetly. "… Inform him of his fate, would ye, my lady?" he chuckled. 

"His lordship drank a special elixir for a week straight… Now _you_ will feel its effects shortly," she replied and pulled the thorned whip from around her waist.

"Ohh, I've felt it all right…" he grinned tiredly. He then felt a throbbing pain in between his legs. He glanced down and gasped. "What did you do to me?!" he hissed. Managi cracked her whip dangerously close to his now erect length. "… Now thine punishment begins…" Fou-Lu said in a deadly voice. "Lady Managi… Do with him as thee wish…"

"Lord Fou-Lu! NO!" he pleaded. "Don't-"

"… Thee have nine lives. For what are ye worried?" he smiled and disappeared into the shadows. Raiko turned his head to Managi. She flicked her finger and sent him flying up against the wall, binding his ankles and wrists with shackles of teal light. "My lady… Do- do not do this!"

Managi's eyes darkened and she raised her arm and brought the whip down with a slicing blow…

*****

Zeal squinted her eyes in the freezing ice storm that plagued the valley. _This weather is ridiculous… We're supposed to be able to travel too… Ignorant old foul,_ she thought about Badamon and turned her head to one of her black, cloth-clad demon. "Do away with this weather… Can't see a damn thing," she muttered. It nodded hesitantly and floated towards the sky slowly. The powerful gusts tore the cloth as it fought upward against the storm. Thrusting its ghost white palms high into the night sky, it released a sky splitting screech, overpowering the howling of the tempest spell. The angry wind and blades of ice swirled around the wraith and the cloud opened up and swallowed the wind and ice. The night fell silent once more and the moon lit up the valley brightly. Zeal uncovered her ears and greeted her servant with a sigh. "… Couldn't you have been quieter?" she asked. It shook his head shyly and wrung its hands. "Did you see anyone while you were up there?" she asked. The wraith shook his head again.

_"Alllll arrre… sleeeeping…"_ it whispered. She smiled.

"Excellent… Guard the portal until I return," she ordered. She vanished in a wisp of blue flames.

*****

Anubis opened his eyes slowly and carefully. _What… what happened?_ he asked himself. He touched his forehead reflexively as his head began to pound. It was then he noticed the chains around his wrists. He sat up in shock. _What the devil?! I…_ He froze when he recalled his last thoughts of clear consciousness. His heart and shoulders sank as images of a shadowed creature, the Ancient, and his comrades filled his memory. He felt his face and hands in a panicked motion. The fangs and claws were gone to his relief and he swallowed a large lump of sorrow in his throat. He didn't remember anything after that, but he had dreams of attacking and threatening the others violently and viciously. He could smell the scent of blood lingering on his hands. A combination of people. "… Not again…" he whispered and clutched his head angrily. He felt slight movement beside his leg and he stiffened. Looking right, he peered at the form sleeping soundly. Tori's head was pillowed on her arms as she sat on the floor beside him. Gently he reached over and touched the soft auburn locks as he remembered another dream he had. It was his last one before he had woken. She stirred, but did not wake. Anubis glanced at his chains again and frowned. "Damn… Mythril…" he muttered. It was the only metal that he could not bend to his will, on his own at least.

"Allow me…" a voice spoke softly. The chains unlocked and felt easily to the bed. He rubbed his bruised wrists and stood quickly, careful not to wake Tori. "Who's there?" he demanded. A shadow darted across the floor behind him. He turned to the window and saw a figure perched on the sill. "… Z-zeal…" he gasped and swallowed hard. He darted to his nightstand to snatch his yoroi, but found himself inches from Zeal as she blocked his path. "… You don't need that…" she smirked and dragged her fingertip over his chest slowly. She circled him and ran here hands over his hardened body. It was then he realized that he had on not a shred of clothing. "… You've… improved over the years… _Very_ nice…" she whispered and brought herself against his chest. Anubis pulled back. "You… you shouldn't be here," he whispered. "If the others should find you-"

"Shh…" she touched his lips with her finger. "I didn't come to fight you, Anubis…" She glanced behind her. Anubis caught her arm roughly.

"Please, no!" he hissed. "She's just a young girl…" he pleaded. "This has nothing to do with her!" Zeal wrenched her arm away.

"I will be the judge of that… Her time is not now," she said in a normal tone. 

"Hush!"

"She can't hear me, you fool," she laughed and stepped toward Tori's sleeping form. She pushed her over and she fell against the floor. "See? She'll wake in a few hours…" she chuckled. 

"What do you want?" he demanded in a harsher tone. Zeal sighed and advanced towards him. "… I snuck out," she confessed. "I… heard about what happened to you… I wanted to see you. It's been so long," she said in a pained voice. She slid her hands over his shoulders and down his arms, before taking his large hands in her slender ones. "… Didn't you want to see me?" she asked. Anubis lowered his eyes.

"O-of course… but… you are the enemy," he whispered sadly. "You _died_. You killed yourself over something that in which I still am in the dark. Talpa resurrects you and… you are not the woman I loved…" Zeal grasped his face in her hands.

"No, no, my love! I am still her…" she smiled. "It doesn't have to be like this… Come back with me… Talpa will forgive you for your actions. You were a confused man and he is merciful-"

"_No._ He is _not_. He killed innocent women and children. Raided villages. Forced people to follow him with the threat of death. We had no free will, Zeal! You are his puppet! If not his whore! You are just like Kayura was!" Zeal delivered a slap to his face.

"_Never_ compare me to that wench!" she snapped. "… I _have_ free will. Talpa has changed since you and the others left. He has become kind and compassionate. He treats Managi and myself like we were queens. He would treat you like a king! Just like Kaos-"

"Talpa is nothing like the Ancient!"

"Of course he is… They are twin brothers, after all…" she smiled. "He left the clan because he was shadowed by Kaos. He had no choice but to become dark. All he ever wanted was the same love and compassion Kaos got. His jealousy drove him to the dark side. Once he returns to the Mortal Realm, he will return… I promise you, my love…" she explained. Anubis looked away.

"… I find that hard to believe…" he said sadly. "He had me attack Sekhmet's empire and Managi cannot remember him because of me… He poisoned my blood and I cannot even control these… transformations! Talpa choked the life out of me… nothing will make me return to him…" he stated defiantly. He grasped her arms gently. "… Stay here with us. Help us stop Talpa and his plans to take over…"

"I cannot. I will not… These humans have poisoned your mind, Anubis. You are not thinking clearly…"

"I am thinking clearly for the very first time… I just want… the fighting to stop… I want us…" he finished. "Please reconsider…" he begged. "I cannot bear to loose you again…" he whispered and pulled her forehead against his. Zeal touched his mouth softly with her own in a tender kiss. Anubis hesitated briefly before his own longing desire just to be able to see her clouded his mind. He knew this was wrong, but he loved her. How could that be so wrong? Confused over the mixed emotions now coursing through his still feverish body, he went willingly. He slid his hand through her soft hair, fingers burning from the last time he was able to touch the silken locks, and pulled her mouth deeper into his. He could not stem the reaction he felt in the pit of his stomach as his other hand dropped to the small of her armored back, and he pulled her toward him and against him. Without any hesitation, he allowed her tongue entry, and he joined it with his own in a kiss that he thought he would only experience in his dreams. 

She abruptly ended it and pulled out of his arms, surprised when she met with a slight restraint. He met eyes that had been once soft and calm were now harsh and cold, emotionless and dark. "… Z-zeal?" he managed to utter. She straightened and glanced back at Tori. He retracted his hand and stood still. "… Why did you do it?" he asked. "Why would you kill yourself?"

"… You really have forgotten everything," she laughed bitterly and turned to him. "You betrayed our love… with this… girl you are so hell bent on protecting."

"W-what?" he gasped. "No, I-"

"Master Talpa showed me… then ordered me to kill you for your treasonous thoughts and ideas… Your loyalty was wavering. It was a direct order from him… I stowed away into your room while you were sleeping," she said softly. "… You looked so peaceful… I had the knife and… I couldn't stop thinking about that image of _her_ and you together in…" she paused. "I still could do it! I was so angry! I left the room and…"

"Aye… I remember… There was blood everywhere…" he finished, eyes closing releasing tears. "I… I never betrayed you…" he added. "I know there is no way for you to believe me, but… this girl… is not the same as you saw. She is just a human… and you died nearly ten mortal years ago… She would have been only the age of nine!"

"I know what I saw, Anubis!" she spat and dashed to the window. "And that is all I need to know… Goodbye. We will not be meeting under these circumstances again… I suggest you keep a watchful eye about your… child of fire…" she snarled and leaped into the darkness. Anubis mashed his eyes with the bottom of his palms in frustration and sighed out a cry. "Gods, why?" he cried and fell to the carpet in a silent sobbing heap.

His bedroom door opened slowly and Whiteblaze poked his head inside. Anubis jumped when he felt the tiger's large face nuzzle his fevered back affectionately. His eyes narrowed at him. He obviously understood more than he'd given him credit for. A sudden guilt washed over him as he realized that he had overstepped his boundaries. Like Sekhmet, he was in love with the enemy. He tried to forget about her and everything and every moment they had shared, but somehow this feline saw behind the mask. "… I know," he admitted and hung his head. "I could get us all killed… Kaos died, because I didn't realize it soon enough…" he whispered. He watched his eyes register his words and growled in a low tone that disagreed with his conclusions. His head seemed to shake. Anubis reached his hand up to the large head and ran his fingers through the soft fur slowly. "… You don't believe that?" Whiteblaze purred in response and nudged the man's hand. "What do I do then? I don't think I have the heart to kill her…" he said. Whiteblaze stood and padded over to Tori's still sleeping form. He bent down and nudged the young woman's chest and looked back at him. He licked her hand and looked back again. Anubis colored. "I hope you are not suggesting what I think you are suggesting," he whispered. Whiteblaze sat on the floor rather roughly in a manner that seemed agitated and annoyed at the man's interpretation. Human were always slow to grasp things. Anubis recognized his actions in a way that was similar to Mia when she would cross her arms in annoyance when she was dealing with Hardrock or Sekhmet. Anubis' eyes widened, in realization of the cat's irritation, he noted that what he thought was a mistake. Apparently, his stubborn and rude behavior towards the younger summoner had even Whiteblaze thoroughly pissed off and sick of it. "… Sorry…"

Whiteblaze looked down at Tori sadly and then padded over to the chair. He pulled a blanket that had been left there with his teeth and dragged it toward Tori. He set it aside and went to Anubis' chest of drawers and pulled the handle, opening it. He propped himself up and dug around inside with his nose. He pulled out a pair of sweats and dragged them over to Anubis. The man took them and remembered that he was stark naked in the middle of his floor. "O-oh…" Anubis slipped them on quickly and Whiteblaze pulled him over to Tori with his teeth clamped gently around his wrist. "What?" Whiteblaze held the blanket in his teeth. "… Oh…" Anubis stooped over and lifted her into his arms. She shivered and nestled into his chest. He stood there and stared at her. He noted the striking resemblance she bore to Zeal. The hair and temper were the same. He remembered her words as he carried her to her bedroom and placed her into her unmade bed. Whiteblaze had followed and held the blanket in his mouth. Anubis looked down at him. He chuckled softly at the big eyes he gave him and took it. He pulled the covers around her warmly. He sat on her bed and stared at her. He realized that he was back to 'normal' and dreaded the next morning when he would have to face her and her sorrow. Whiteblaze nudged him for reassurance and licked his hand. "… I know… I just wish that I could have saved him…"

He stood and padded back to his room where he lay awake until the sunlight spilled across the bedroom floor and the birds began to sing once more…

_Dawn breaks; there is blue in the sky._

_Your face before me though I don't know why._

_Thoughts disappearing like tears from the Moon…_

_Now I know I must leave your spell_

_I want tomorrow_.

Enya~ "I Want Tomorrow"~


	20. Carry On My Friends, Carry On

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Twenty: Carry On My Friends, Carry On

An annoying buzz pounded the insides of his skull loudly. Reaching over he knocked the alarm clock off the bedside table and sat up lazily. The nearly long forgotten sounds of birds sang sweetly in his ears and he blinked at the window. He was greeted with a great yet relieving shock. He opened the window and stuck his head out. His skin met with a warmer that usual breeze. _Thank goodness. It finally stopped-_ A large, cold, and very wet chunk of melting snow slush fell on his head. "AUGH!" he yelped and shook himself and his hair free of the snow. "C-COLD!"

"… Sage. Damn, man! Keep it down!" Rowen growled from underneath the covers. "Rowen! Get up! It stopped snowing!!"

"Hooray for the snow… Beat it…" he growled. Sage sighed and snatched his bathrobe from the chair. "For your sake, you'd better be up by the time I get out of the bathroom."

"… Great. 'Nother four hours of sleep for me," he shot back. Sage frowned.

*****

"GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!!" Sai shouted as Kento and Ryo scrambled out of the kitchen. "Hey, Sai! Calm the fuck down, man!" Kento snapped and dodged an airborne knife. Ryo caught skillfully just before it impaled itself into the wall. "Shit! He's gone postal!" 

"_What the hell is your problem_?!" Kento demanded a little freaked that he was almost hit with a rather sharp and large kitchen knife. He kicked the door open and stormed inside. "I said, GET OUT, Kento!!" he shouted again. He snatched another knife. Kento froze at the fired look in his sad eyes. The older boy was very prepared to use the carving knife if need be. "… S-sai, c'mon, man… Put the knife down," Kento began gently. 

"Get… _out,_ Kento, or so help me I'll-"

"Tell me what's wrong, buddy…" Kento pleaded. He opened his mouth to ask again, when Torrent's eyes flooded with tears and fell down his angry face freely. "… S-sai-"

"Leave me alone, Kento!" he ordered. "Just… _go_!" Kento backed away slowly and nodded. "S-sure thing, man…" Ryo waited for Kento and peeked around him as the door opened. He caught a glimpse of Sai leaning over the kitchen sink. "Kento, what's wrong with him?" he whispered. 

"… I dunno, man. He won't even lemme talk to him… He's freakin' out…" he replied and began down the hall towards the study. Ryo followed him after glancing back at the kitchen door. "… Y'know, I think we're all a little freaked now," Ryo said.

"Never like this… Dude, Rowen's been sleeping for like _ever-_"

"That's nothin' to worry about," Ryo smirked.

"After not sleeping for a fuckin' week?! Sage has been sleeping _in_ late, you've been holed up in your room without eating or coming out to watch the hockey game, and I haven't been hungry lately… I'm _not_ hungry, man!! That's not normal! Now Sai is throwing knives at people! Dude… this's never happened before." Kento went on ahead into the study. "What about the girls?" Ryo asked. Kento flopped down at Mia's desk and fiddled with a couple of paperclips and pencils. "They're all pretty out of it. None of them wanna do anything besides study. Domo's been training with Dais non-stop. Tori's not talking, _period_. Sakura, Megami, and Nasake have been just hitting the books… Cale and Sekhmet are sick… Anubis… Kayura and Mia have been cleaning all week. They waxed the floor three times in the front hall… Busted my ass comin' down for breakfast this morning…" Kento sighed. "Yuli and the kid seem to be the only ones acting the same. I don't think that they're really aware of how bad it's gotten…" he added.

"We need to get them out of the house… do something. Train. Walk. Run. DATE-"

"'_Date'_?? … Don't even mention that word… Sakura and Megami are all gaga over the Incredible Knife-Throwing Psycho…" he muttered. Ryo smirked went to the window. "Oh, now I wouldn't say _that_," he sang.

"What, what, what?!"

"I dunno…"

"Telll meee…" he pleaded. 

"Oh… It's just that Megami can't stop talking about you…" Kento shot up in his chair. "Are you shittin' me?!"

"The walls are pretty thin, man. You should talk to her or something…" Kento blushed heavily. "I dunno, man… Dais said we shouldn't… you know… get too involved…"

"Since when do you listen to him?"

"Since he gave me nightmares about that bag of cookies I ate in one day," he shuddered. "… I still get jitters just lookin' at oatmeal raisins…" Ryo raised an eyebrow.

"You got issues man…"

"Hey at least I don't eat cat food…"

"That wasn't my fault! Whiteblaze ate all the other food! I was starving!"

"Even I'm not that bad…" Kento smirked.

*****

Sakura rushed halfway down the stairs at the sounds of shouting. "Hey, Sai! Calm the fuck down, man!" Kento snapped and dodged an airborne knife. Ryo caught skillfully just before it impaled itself into the wall. "Shit! He's gone postal!" 

"_What the hell is your problem_?!" She watched him burst into the kitchen and listened intently:

_"… S-sai, c'mon, man… Put the knife down."_

_ "Get… out, Kento, or so help me I'll-"_

_ "Tell me what's wrong, buddy…" There was a pause. "… S-sai-"_

_ "Leave me alone, Kento! … Just… go!"_

_"S-sure thing, man…"_ Kento returned to the hall where Ryo had waited for him. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but after they left she crept down the stairs and put her ear against the door. Nothing, but the sound of running water. She opened the door and saw him leaning over the sink, gripping the edges until his knuckles turned white. His ears perked and his shoulders tensed. "I told you, Kento! Get… ou…t… S-sakura-sama," whispered as he saw her just a few steps away. He dried his eyes and frowned again. She stood beside him at the sink and touched his sleeve.

"Need some help?" she asked when she spotted the unfinished cookie batter. He opened his mouth and turned away. "… N-no… S-sakura, please… I need to be a lone for a bit," he said softly and shut off the water. 

"I… I know… but I… I don't want to be alone right now," she whispered after a moment. Sai stiffened at the building tears in her voice. He turned and saw her crying into a dishcloth. "Sakura…" he began and touched her wrists. _I completely forgot about them… Lord… _He met with some resistance as he pulled the cloth away from her face. "C'mon, love… Put that down… You don't know what I've been cleaning," he said with a soft smile. She lowered her face and stared down at the little fish on his apron. She didn't say anything. He simply sighed and held her shoulders gently. "C'mon… Help me make dinner," he said. Sakura snapped her tear-stained face up.

"But it's only nine thirty!" she sniffled.

"And it's gonna take all day… I don't know 'bout you, but I want something solid in my stomach."

"… Yeah… I'm sick of ramen too. What are we gonna make?" she asked. Sai leaned over and flipped through a cookbook for a few moments. "Anything that looks hard… Gotta have the right ingredients, don't we?"

"Yep. We need to find a store…" she said. "Think there is one within the area?"

"Is Kayura awake?"

"Someone call?" she asked and poked her head into the kitchen.

*****

"What, what, whaaat?" Megami exclaimed. "Go out _there_?!"

"Yes, the snow has probably melted enough for you and Kento to drive to the little town that's just outside of the woods. He knows where it is," Sai said.

"But, but, but…. I-I don't knooow… Sakuraaa…" she whimpered.

"Oh, stop it… You said that you liked him, so what's the problem?!" she hissed.

"What? Megami?" Sai smiled. "You-"

"Oh, you have a BIG mouth, Sakura!" she snapped with a heavy flush. "Grrr, fine! What do you guys need anyway…" Sai handed her a list. "DUDE! I thought you guys needed milk or something! Paprika, cream of tartar… s-spam?" she made a face as the list got worse. "Tell them to put it on Mia's tab…" Sai said over his shoulder as he dug into the freezer. Megami sighed and turned to go. "Megami?" Sai called.

"Huh?"

"… Good luck, love," he smiled and pulled out a few things from the freezer. She blushed and nodded. 

*****

Sage pulled a turtleneck on over his head as he left the bathroom. Sure enough, Rowen was passed out on his bed like he had and did one too many girls. Sage made a face as he actually remembered that from their college days. _He was such a horny little bastard_… he smirked. It wasn't too funny when he remembered that his last girlfriend was one of the four… or was it five girls that Rowen had slept with that night. He knew that Rowen didn't remember anything from that night and his girlfriend had been getting on his nerves so he was thankful that he didn't have to think of a lame excuse to break up with her. His friendship with Rowen was more important than drunken accidents. From then on, Rowen hadn't touched the bottle for a while. He poked the snoring Ronin in the head. "Wake up, it's nine forty… three," he announced. Rowen growled. "You've spent a day in bed all ready! GET UP!" he ordered.

"… No…" Sage frowned and chucked a pillow at him.

"Fine…" He turned on his heel and left the bedroom. _You'll get up when I tell you, Rowen… if I have to force you out I will!_ He turned the corner of the hall and saw Domo exit her room. He stopped when she saw him. Out of habit, he bowed. "G-good morning, Domo," he said. Her eyes fell to the floor.

"Hey, Sage…" she greeted softly. She started to go down the opposite end of the hall. "Domo? Um… Are you busy?" he asked. She turned around.

"Not… really, why?" Sage smirked.

"Ever seen a blue-topped cutip before?" he grinned.

"A what?!" she laughed. He motioned her over and entered Yuli's room. 

Yuli was busy fiddling with his army men with a giant samurai action figure. "Grr! I am Talpa! Fear me you stupid humans! Hahaha!" He stomped the soldiers with the larger action figure. He pulled out another one that was similar: painted silver and light blue.

"Not so fast, buckethead! I'm Yuli of the Wind and I'll vanquish you with my armor!"

"Yuli?" Sage called. The boy looked up from his playing. 

"Hey Sage. Hey Domo…"

"Do you still have those super soakers?" he asked. Yuli smiled.

"Sure! Are you gonna-"

"Yep! If you've got two that'd be great…" Yuli dug into his toy chest and pulled out the necessary weapons. He handed Domo one and Sage the other. "How would you like to earn twenty bucks?" Sage asked.

"Really?!" Yuli beamed. "Sure!" Domo raised an eyebrow.

"Sage… what are you up to?" she demanded. He smiled.

"You'll see… Now we have to find Mia…" he said. "Come on!"

"My video camera? Why?" she asked and paused in her decrypting of the files. Dais looked over the book he was reading as he sat at the window. "Uh… Well you know how you've been wondering where your underwear has been going?" Sage began. 

"Sage!" she hissed with a heavy blush.

"There is a panty raider in this house?!" Domo exclaimed. "God… Sixth period gym class all over again…" 

"What about it, Sage?" Mia snapped.

"I think I know who it is, but I need the camera to catch them in the act." Mia sighed. "Fine… Be careful with it…" she said. "It's in the hall closet." They left as quickly as they came. Mia covered her head with her arms and sighed. "Dammit… These encrypted files we found are insane!" Dais shut the book and sat on the edge of the desk.

"You're working too hard, Lady Mia… Let's go for a walk," he suggested. 

"Dais, thank you, but we really need to crack these files…" Dais pulled her chair away from the desk and moved in front of the screen, blocking her. "… At this point, my lady, you shall crack before they do," he sighed. Mia groaned.

"Dais…" He leaned over her and pinned her arms to the chair, leaning close. She blushed heavily. _Calm down, girl… You're not that desperate…_ she told herself.

"Milady," he said in the same tone she used. "It's not going to kill you… besides. Halo, Korin, and the boy are up to no good. I don't think you want another headache today, do you?" Mia sighed heavily.

"All right… Let me go check on Cale and Sekhmet then we can go all right?"

"Of course…"

*****

Anubis pulled a sweater on over his shirt and ran a brush through his long hair. He frowned when he saw that it now fell to his waist from its once slightly longer than shoulder length hair. "I need a hair cut. It's longer than Mia's," he groaned. He exited his bathroom and saw Whiteblaze waiting for him. He rubbed his head on his leg. "Hungry?" he asked. "Me too…" He stood and opened the bedroom door. He stopped when he saw Sage, Domo, and Yuli creeping to Sage and Rowen's room. Whiteblaze padded over to them and nudged Yuli. Anubis shook his head and headed down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Good morning," he greeted and opened the refrigerator to retrieve the orange juice. He heard something smash to the floor followed by a small squeak. "A-anubis!!" Sakura yipped. "Yo-you're… okay!" He smiled softly at her and fetched the broom for her before getting a glass out of the cupboard. "… In so many words, I suppose," he replied. He turned and poured his drink, nearly spilling it when she clung to his back tightly. "Suiko?" She pulled away and dried her eyes.

"Sorry, it's just that… What the guys told us, and that wound you gave Dais… I'm just glad you're okay," she mumbled. Anubis lowered his eyes.

"I… don't remember anything that happened after the Ancient died… I don't even know what day it is. It just feels like it's all been a very long nightmare," he whispered. Sakura began to sweep up the broken pieces of a bowl. "You were like that for about five or six days… Cale and Sekhmet fell into really high fevers and Mia doesn't know what's wrong with them. Everyone's been really out of it, especially Tori. She hasn't said _anything_ to anyone since she found out. Maybe you can talk to her?"

"… Sure," he said lowly and drank the juice slowly.

"Sakura-sama, I found the tableclo-ANUBIS?!" Sai yelped as he saw him in the kitchen. "How did you get loose?!"

"Sai!" she hissed. "He doesn't know what happened…" she whispered. 

"Ho-how do you feel?" he asked.

"Ever been impaled into a wall by a spear as big around as a lamp post, burned, broken, and bleeding, not to mention having your heart mentally ripped out of you?" Sai shook his head and swallowed hard. "N-no."

"It's like that," he said softly. 

"Do you want something to eat? I bet you're starving," Sakura said. Anubis shook his head. "No thank you, Suiko. Do you know where I may find Tori?" Sai scratched his head. "Uh, I saw her outside in the back yard with Lady Kayura just now. Ryo is out there too." Anubis nodded and left the kitchen. 

*****

"Let me look in on Cale and then we can go, okay?" Mia whispered to Dais before she opened his bedroom door. She poked her head inside and was about to call his name when she spotted a tuft of snow white hair curled under a blanket beside Cale. She carefully pulled back the blanket and saw Kiku curled up beside Cale's chest asleep. "Dais," she called in a whisper. "Go get my camera," she said. "It's in my room on my dresser…" She sat beside Cale and reached over to touch his forehead. She smiled when she felt no abnormal warmth. _Good, his fever's gone._ Mia stared at the man for a long time and simply stroked his bangs as she waited for Dais to return. Her heart skipped a beat when she remembered he had kissed her. Cale murmured softly and gripped the blanket tightly. Reflexively, she curled her hand around his and touched his cheek. Surprisingly, he calmed and fell back into deeper sleep, but not before he left her with something that would greatly bother her for the rest of the day. "… Mia… no," he called out pleadingly. He gripped her hand before he relaxed. She covered her mouth and stared wide eyed at him. 

"What did you need it for?" he asked as he returned.

"Ah!" she jumped and swung at the man behind her. Dais caught her arm and gave her a look of shock and slight admiration. She had responded rather quickly for her talents. "Easy… it's me," he whispered.

"Sorry," she whispered. Mia stood slowly and pointed to Kiku. "Isn't that sweet?" she smiled and adjusted the lens. "She must have gotten lonely last night… She has no idea what happened to Kaos," she stated softly. "He's probably the only father she's ever known…" She snapped a few shots and sighed. She left the room and Dais followed shortly after and shut the door behind him. "How is he doing?"

"He's fever broke finally… I was beginning to get worried. Sekhmet's fine too. They should be awake and fine by dinner time." She capped the lens and retreated to her room, well aware that the larger man was following closely behind. He stopped in the doorway and watched her movements. His eye narrowed slightly in the change of her behavior. It had been cheery and motherly on the way to Cale's room. It had now progressed into an edgy, nervous, and inconsistent in accordance to her own usual behavior. What had happened in the two minutes he was out of the room? She was _fidgeting_. 

"Lady Mia… Are you all right?" he inquired softly. Shocked again when she jumped at the mere presence of his voice. "Oh! Wh-what? Yes! I'm fine!" she replied quickly and struggled with the film. "Dammit," she muttered to herself. Dais approached her slowly. "… Milady?" he nearly whispered against her ear. The air around her even stiffened. He laid his hands lightly on her arms and stilled her. She was quivering. "You are shaking!" he gasped.

"I'm just cold," she managed to say and pulled away. Her flushed cheeks stated otherwise, however, she pulled on another sweater over the one she wore. Dais leaned against Mia's bedpost and watched her more. _Interesting…_ He slipped behind her again and slid his hands up her back and onto her shoulders lightly. She jumped and whipped around, slapping him rather hard across the cheek, no meaning to. "Oh!" she gasped. "Dais… What are you doing?!" she demanded in a shaken voice. He clutched his face.

"Forgive me… I was going to give you a back rub," he lied. "You are so tense that the air around you is so!" he said. Mia held her arms and put herself a good distance away from him. "I-I know…" she mumbled and lowered her eyes to the floor. "I'm nervous and I," she paused, "I-I don't know why…" Dais sensed a hint of deception in her words. And he thought she hadn't the gall to lie to him. However, despite the real truth, he simply smiled. "… It has been a long week for all of us, I suppose… If I frightened you, then I am sorry," he said and left the room. Mia followed and caught up with him in the hallway. She stopped him by Cale's door. "Dais… I… It's all right. I'm just jumpy about Anubis being chained up, the Ancient dying, all this other… _bullshit_ that has been occurring. I shouldn't have hit you…" She held her hand to her chest defensively and lowered her eyes. Dais curled his fingers around it and brought it to his lips. "On the contrary… that was quite a hit! There is a warrior in you yet!"

"Dais!" she giggled and followed him down the hall.

Cale narrowed his eyes and he lay watching and listening to them through a crack in the door. They narrowed further upon the cool smile that was etched on Dais' lips. 

"Dais… I… It's all right. I'm just jumpy about Anubis being chained up, the Ancient dying, all this other… _bullshit_ that has been occurring. I shouldn't have hit you…" He watched Dais take Mia's hand and kiss it.

"On the contrary… that was quite a hit! There is a warrior in you yet!" Cale gritted his teeth and restrained himself from snarling. _It had better not be you, Dais or so help me…_

*****

"Okay, 'Blaze… When I count to three, yank as hard as you can, okay? If you do a good job, you'll get extra dessert tonight," Sage whispered. Whiteblaze licked him over and over for thanks and prowled quietly into the bedroom. Whiteblaze poked his head over the lump of blankets and peered at Rowen's sleeping face. He raised his eyebrow at the small ever-growing puddle of drool. He took the bed sheets gently in his teeth and waited. "Yuli? Are those guns loaded?" he asked.

"Cold, icy, melted snow just like you told me!" he smiled. Domo peered around the door and saw Rowen snoring loudly tangled in his sheets. "You guys are just plain mean," she smirked.

"Oh, it gets better. You should see us when the air conditioning quits. Everybody's naked then." Sage grinned and switched on the video camera. 

"Uh, I don't, Sage," Yuli said. Domo closed her eyes and winced.

"That was a little _too_ much information, Sage."

"Smile guys. Operation Blue-Topped Cutip is now underway."

"Sage, wait. Why do you call him that?" Domo asked. 

"You'll see… Okay Whiteblaze… One, two, three!!" he yelled. Whiteblaze yanked the sheets and Domo and Yuli began to fire jets of ice, cold water at a very naked Ronin. "SAGE!!!" he roared and scrambled off the bed wrapping his waist with the sheet. "I'm gonna fucking kill you!! Gimme that camera!" he ordered and leapt toward him. Whiteblaze snagged the sheet in his teeth and yanked it off as he dashed past. Rowen yelped and let Sage go into order to retrieve the much-needed sheet in an all out tug of war that he was definitely loosing. "Whiteblaze!! Bad cat! Bad cat!!" His back screamed when the ice water stung it. "DAH! DAMMIT!" Whiteblaze began to circle Rowen and tangle his legs in the sheet. He fell to the ground and Whiteblaze proceeded to drag him down the hall and into Nasake and Domo's room. "AHH!! NOO!!"

"Atta boy, Whiteblaze!" Sage cheered. This was making excellent blackmail footage. He caught Domo and Yuli racing after them and into the room where Nasake's surprised screams rang out into the hall. "ROWEN! You pervert!!" she yelled and began to throw whatever she could at him to get him to leave. Sage thought he saw a couple of books and a lamp. Rowen managed to scramble out on all fours, blushing like mad, and soaking wet. It was then that Sage noticed that he wasn't naked anymore. Domo and Yuli stopped squirting him with the water and began to back away. "Okay… now what Sage?" Yuli asked. "He's wearing his armor now…"

"Well, Yuli… We do what any normal person would do," Domo began. "We run like hell!!" Both bolted for Yuli's room and slammed the door behind them. Rowen shook his hair dry and glared up at Sage. He slicked his hair out of his eyes. "You have two seconds to give me that camera," he whispered.

"I think not… You have more important things on your plate today," Sage smirked. "Like _what_?!" he snapped. 

"YOU PERVERT!!!" Nasake shouted and began to beat him senseless with her pillows. "Ahh!! 'Sake!! Stop! I'm sorry! It wasn't my… fault!! Ow! Quit!"

"Jerk!" Sage took the liberty to make his grand escape and hide the video camera and tape for future reference. _Life is good sometimes._

*****

Ryo stopped her sword with the gauntlet on his undergear. "Whoa, whoa, whoa… Cool it, Tori!" he exclaimed. "Don't go overboard…" Her eyes scanned his face then Kayura's as she looked up at her from the still snow-covered ground. She relaxed and dropped the sword absently. Kayura stood quickly and rubbed her neck nervously. "N-nice match, Rekka," she mumbled. She received a slow nod and silence.

"Wanna go again?" Ryo asked. Kayura shook her head quickly.

"N-no, Ryo… I think that I'm finished for today." Ryo caught her hand and stepped close to her. "Hey… I wanna talk to you later," he whispered against her ear. A blushed smile etched on her face and she nodded. "Sure…" and she left.

Ryo turned around and saw Tori staring at the sword blankly. She fingered the edge of it and cut herself by accident, but did not react to pain. "Whoa, hey! Careful with that!" he exclaimed. "Look what you did…" Tori found his eyes and just shook her head. "You gotta start talking sooner or later," he said. Again she shook her head. She pulled away from him and sat on a stone wall surrounding the garden a few feet away. She started sharpening it. 

"Not talking to anyone, is she?" Anubis asked as he stepped out into the snow. Ryo nodded and ran his hands through his hair. "She won't even make a sound. Not a laugh, a cry, hell, she's not even talking to Kiku…" he said. Anubis looked past Ryo and saw Tori sharpening. "Determined as ever to still practice, eh?"

"Like clockwork… She's been like this day and night. It's the same with Domo, but she's talking… I don't know if we'll be able to count on them-"

"Have faith, Wildfire… The Ancient did," he said with a small smile.

"… How did you get free? Dais had you chained, just in case you'd go crazy again…" Ryo asked.

"… I… guess the spell wore off," he lied. "I'm fine now, I guess. Everything is still fuzzy to me," he paused. "Where _is_ the Ancient One?"

"Oh… uh, it disappeared he whispered."

"It _disappeared_?!" he exclaimed. "How?!"

"Sh!! I dunno, man! One minute Kay was doing some kinda cleansing ritual and then he vanished!" Ryo hissed. "Keep your voice down!! She doesn't know what happened to him. She thinks that we buried him…" He gestured to Tori who finally had taken notice of the new visitor. She stood quickly and stared at Anubis with an unreadable emotion in her eyes. Anubis pushed past Ryo. "Go inside…" he ordered.

"What? Why?"

"Do it!" he snapped and gave Wildfire a glare that left no room for argument. He approached Tori slowly and stood before her eying the sharp blade in her quivering hand. "… H-how are you?" he asked in a soft voice. No reply or even a notion that his question registered. She just stared blankly up at him. He reached for her arm. She evaded him quickly, eyes becoming angry. "Tori-" Cold steel bit at the flesh on his neck and stiffened as she pressed it a little harder. He held up his hands defensively and swallowed hard. "… I… I am so sorry," he whispered. The blade grew hot and she swung hard with a pained cry. Anubis, taking advantage of those years in India, used full use of his flexible body and dodged the red hot blade before back flipping with one hand and latching on to her ankle. He pulled her to the ground and pinned her roughly. "_What is your problem_?!" he demanded. She struggled and balled a fist that caught fire. She latched on to his arm, burning through the jacket and to his skin. He grimaced, but did not lessen his hold. "Stop! Stop this!" he ordered and grabbed her arm and submerged it in the snow. His forearm sizzled loudly. She thrashed about and snarled wildly for a few moments before reducing to tears. She stopped struggling and lay under him crying. "You lied! You lied to me!!" she shrieked. "You killed 'Jiisan…" she gasped and struggled again. "You killed him…" Anubis shoved her into the ground roughly.

"That's not true!! It's not true, do you hear me!?" he snarled through his teeth.

"You did, you did-" she repeated in rambling sentences, shaking her head.

"Shut up! Shut up! _SHUT UP!_" he cried over her. "I didn't!" he gasped, tears falling on to her cheeks. She continued to repeat herself over and over until he struck her across the cheek. "Dammit woman!" he cried. He tore open his jacket and shirt, exposing his chest that was now riddled with fresh scars and still healing gashes. "Look at me!" he ordered as he yanked her upright by the collar of her jacket. "This and more is what I endured to try and save him. I fought on the edge of my insanity… something that I have fought against my whole existence and tried to suppress! And still I failed! The only person on this earth that has treated me as a human is dead and I failed him! If that is not enough for your forgiveness and, if anything, pity, then I am sorry! I'm sorry that I could not uphold my promise. I'm sorry that I was not strong enough! _I'm sorry that I hurt you_!!" he cried. He latched onto her and buried his face in her neck. "Kaos is gone… and you are all that is left besides Kiku…" Her back hitched as a cry escaped her mouth. He rocked slowly. "I tried… I tried…" he gasped and looked up at the morning sky, blue as ever. She clawed at his back and fell silent. She gripped her arms around his neck and shuddered. "… Thank you," she whispered.

_You lie there on the swollen ground_

_Deserted in your heart_

_Still longing for what yesterday's lost_

_And for all that tomorrow might bring._

And for all that tomorrow might bring 

Sarah McLachlan~ "Mercy" ~ Solace


	21. Getting Back in the Swing of Things

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Twenty-One: Getting Back in the Swing of Things

*Um, if you haven't caught on yet: this is all after the series, even the crazy chick Suzunagi. Yes they have the new armor. Warlords are still the same. There _are_ some changes to the story of the Black Armor*

"Grocery shopping? _Now?_" Kento questioned and sat up on his bed. He set his manga down and gave the younger girl his undivided attention, which made Megami very nervous. "Y-yeah. Sai 'n' Sakura are gonna start dinner early… They made it sound like it was gonna be a feast," she replied and dug into her pocket for the list. It took her two hands to pull it out. Kento stood and snatched the list. "Lessee… Right, right, right… 'Spam'?" He glanced up from the list and raised an eyebrow. Megami simply shrugged. "Sugar… eggs, milk, blah, blah, blah…"

"You forgot one. I added it…" she pointed out softly.

"Huh? Oh… candy!" he grinned. He caught her in a playful, semi headlock. "You're catching on to the art of grocery shopping," he smirked and walked her outside of his bedroom under his arm. "Gotta have some kinda junk food around here. I'm sick of three year old pop tarts…"

"Waaait a tick," he stopped. "How _old_ were they?"

"… Three years?" she replied meekly. Kento shook his head.

"Damn, and I thought _I_ ate weird things," he chuckled.

"I was hungry!!" she grumbled with a blush. Kento sighed and lead her down the stairs by her hand. "Yeah, yeah… I know just how you feel," he said with a sigh. He stopped in front of the kitchen door. "What?" Kento stepped back.

"Oh… ladies first?" he lied, remembering how he almost lost an eye from U.F.K (Unidentified Flying Kitchenware). Megami blushed and watched him hide behind her as she entered. "What's wrong with you?"

"… Uh," he stood straight, "… nothing!" A knife flew in his general direction and landed in the wooden cutting space beside him. It stuck in the wood rather close to the boy's knuckle. "DAH!!" Kento backed up against the refrigerator, nearly knocking it over with his massive size. "Whoops, sorry 'bout that, Kento," Sai said and retrieved it calmly. "I saw a rather frightening little bug and… well, you know how messy and wet I cook," he explained and began to clean his knife. Kento glared at him.

"Sure, sure, you psycho… I suppose that was your excuse for earlier too?" he snapped and swiped an apple from the bowl on the kitchen table. Sai cleaned his hands and scratched his hair. "… Um, no actually, I wanted to apologize. I was just… feeling a little angry and upset that I was… helpless to stop the Ancient One's death… Anubis reminded me of how bad I didn't feel," he said softly. Kento sighed.

"Next time, come and talk to me about it, man… Just be glad that I didn't tell Mia what you were doin'," he laughed. Sai glanced over his shoulder and motioned him over to the sink. "Hey," he began in a whisper. "… Don't drool all over the food when you go out with her." Kento blinked and chomped on his apple.

"What?" Sai swiped the apple and tossed it away into the garbage. "Hey! I wasn't don with that!" he hissed.

"There are more interesting things to drool over, Kento. Like apples… Oh! I hear that cantaloupe is good this time of year," he said with a cool smirk. "Nice and ripe for the taking…" Kento's mouth twitched into a wry grin.

"Lord, how much porn did _you_ watch last night? You got a summer home in the gutter for that twisted mind of yours?" he chuckled.

"Of course, and my summer's last nine months out of the year," he grinned and turned around. 

"Shh! Do you want him to hear you?!" Megami hissed. "Gosh, Sakura…"

"Just… Calm. Down," she said through her teeth with a smile.

"Ya ready ta go?" Kento asked.

"Y-yeah… I gotta get my coat…" she stuttered with a blush. She left the kitchen. Kento winked at them over his shoulder as he exited. "I'll be in the truck."

Megami's eyes bulged when she opened the front door. "Geez…" The snow had collected to her waist in height. _Talpa must like winter… Must be 'cause it's Christmas. I wonder if they have it in the Nether Realm?_ The honk of a horn jolted her from her thoughts. She saw the trail made towards a not surprisingly orange pick-up truck. She smiled and hurried over to the passenger side. "Come on, come on!" he laughed. "The food won't buy itself!"

"How the heck are we gonna drive through the snow?!" Kento looked at where the road should have been. "… Um… Good question."

"Haaa… Greeaat…"

"Hey, I know!!"

*****

Anubis winced as he stuck his arm under the faucet in the bathtub. The quick flow of the warming water washed away the bits of cloth and material that had stuck onto his burned arm from his jacket and shirt. He pulled it out and examined it, looking at it with disgust. He sighed. "… At least he powers are growing," he said with little optimism.

"Here you are…" Kayura said from the doorway leading into the hall. "I went to check up on you." She approached him by the tub. "How did you get free?" Anubis stiffened and swallowed hard. "I…"

_"You… you shouldn't be here," he whispered. "If the others should find you-"_

_ "Shh…" Zeal touched his lips with her finger. "I didn't come to fight you, Anubis…"_

"… I guess the spell wore off," he lied and did not meet her eyes. He returned to cleansing the burn mark on his arm. Kayura blinked, then frowned. "… There wasn't _any_ spell on those chains. They were just chains made of Mythril that Sekhmet brought in case of something like this happened…" she stated and reached for his arm. He evaded her and did not reply. Kayura frowned again. "Either let me look at your arm or tell me _who_ freed you. Your choice," she warned. Anubis extended his arm with a sigh. "What happened?"

"… Tori. I tried talking… forget it. It's too complicated," he murmured. Kayura adjusted the knob on the tub to cold. "You know better than this. Hot water on a burn? What's the matter with you?" she sighed and let the tub fill.

"… Who knows?" he mumbled and let her soak his forearm. Kayura reached into one of the drawers and pulled out a leather pouch and tossed a handful of light purple dust into the water. "Ah!" he snarled and saw the water bubble where he submerged his limb. "Count to one hundred and then pull it out," she ordered and put away the pouch. She sat beside him again and soaked a bath sponge into the lavender colored water. "Halo did a piss-poor job this time," she muttered and dabbed at a few of his fresh wounds. He groaned as the doctored water hissed softly. Anubis closed his eyes and fell silent. Kayura went to treat his arms and noticed that his whole body was shaking. She lifted his eyes to her gently. "Anubis?" she asked softly. "What's wrong? Something is wrong. Tell me…" He refused to look at her.

"I… I can't."

"Horseshit, Anubis!" she snapped. "I'm only trying to help you feel better! I _hate_ it when I see you like this: all secluded and withdrawn from the rest of the world! It's _not_ healthy and I'm _NOT_ going to just sit here and watch grief and guilt devour you whole!"

Anubis banged on the side of the tub angrily. The guiding virtue flared red on his forehead. "Maybe I _want_ it to, Kayura! Did you ever think of _that_!? Did you ever stop and think about what I have to deal with now?! Did you?!" he shouted. "The Ancient One is _DEAD_, Kayura!!! And you are next! How do you think that makes me feel?! They have the runes, they've succeeded in offing the _Guardian of the Mortal Realm_… Gods! I'm afraid there will be nothing I can do to stop it!" He grabbed her arms tightly and shook her slightly. "I don't want the people I love so much to get hurt anymore…" Tried to banish her tears and pull away. "Anubis, you're hurting me…" He instantly released her and fell back against the tub, feeling angry and frightened tears gather along his long lashes. She went to hold his hand, but he snatched it away. "Don't," he breathed.

"Shutting people out won't stop everyone from getting hurt. The only person that will get hurt is you," she stated in a soft and shaken tone. She stood slowly. "If you want to be alone right now, I respect that. I'll go." Anubis suddenly snatched her by the wrist and gripped it firmly, almost to the point of hurting her. He pulled ever so slightly and rested his forehead on the back of her hand. He collapsed to silent tears and let Kayura offer warmly what her tiny arms had to give.

*****

Yuli looked up from the tiny army of metal samurai at Domo as she busied herself with the boy's Lego® collection. "Think it's safe to go out?" he squeaked in askance. Domo connected a little body to the top of her "tower" that was nearly as tall as she was. She didn't think that _anyone_ had this many of one toy before. It was kinda scary. "I doubt it."

"Wait, can'tcha beat up Rowen?" Domo giggled. "I mean ya made Kento do YOUR laundry," he added and shot at the tower with a plastic missile launcher.

"Hey! You knock this down before I'm done, I'll make Kento hang you over the side of the roof like last time," she warned playfully. "Anyway, that's waaaay different from beating someone up… I wouldn't want to mess with Rowen of the Strata when he's even slightly mad."

"He can get pretty scary. One time we all went out for dinner for Sai's birthday last year… Someone nabbed Lady Kayura's purse and he chased him down a whole twenty blocks. When we got there it took Kento, Anubis, _and_ Ryo to pull him off the guy… I've never seen him that mad before."

"Really?"

"Yep!" Domo dumped another bucket full on the ground of the small Legos® and continued to build. "Say, Yuli… Tell me more about everyone."

"Sure! What do ya wanna know?"

"… Start with anyone."

"Okay. Wanna hear about the time Kento and the guys had too much to drink at their Graduation?!"

"Spill it, kid and you'll get another twenty bucks to add to your piggy bank," she grinned.

*****

Rowen was still grumbling to himself as he stepped out of the shower and snatched a towel from the shelf beside it. _Stupid Sage…_ He looked at himself in the mirror and groaned realizing what a difference temperature made. He wrapped his waist with the towel and growled when the excuse that 'the camera adds at least ten pounds' wouldn't make up for the forty-five degree Fahrenheit _defici_t that his bedroom gave him when Sage left the window open earlier that morning. Not to mention the frozen shower he had earlier. At this rate, he wouldn't be getting laid before this was over. _This was low, even for Sage._ He snatched another towel and scrubbed his dark locks angrily as he exited the bathroom he and Sage shared. He didn't plan on bumping into someone on the way out… or his towel falling off…

"Rowen!!!" Nasake squeaked and turned around. He yanked the towel in his hands to his waist and blushed. "Jesus, 'Sake!!! What the hell are you doin' here?!" he exclaimed, dashing to his dresser. He saw her in the reflection of the mirror. Her hands were over her eyes. "Sorry!!" she whimpered. "Ohmanohmanohmanohman… I'm so sorry!!" Rowen dressed quickly.

"You can look now." She turned slowly, opening one eye then the other. He was _safely_ in his blue jeans and was in the process of pulling on a shirt. "What did you want?"

"Um, I wanted to apologize for hitting you." Rowen felt the bruise on the back of his head. "I wouldn't call that hitting. You pounded me," he laughed.

"O-oh… a-anyway… I-I'm sorry," she whispered. 

"'Sake?"

"Huh?"

"Wanna really make it up to me?" he asked casually and approached her slowly. His advance caused her to back up against the door where he trapped her with his arm to the side of the wall. "Wh-what do you mean??"

"Wanna help me get back at Sage?" he asked softly.

"S-sage? W-why?" she asked. "Ohh, you mean he-"

"Planned every moment of that. Even got yer buddy Domo in on it and probably bribed Yuli and Whiteblaze to help him," he frowned. "I wanna get back at him, but I don't know how. Plus he has that whole thing on tape now…"

"Wait. We have a video camera?" she asked.

"Yeah. The latest. Mia's a camera freak…" She moved past him and paced a few times. "Do we have any hot wax?" Rowen raised his eyebrow.

"Hot wax? Mia might have some, but what-" Nasake brushed past him and opened the door. "Good. You go get the wax and the camera. I've got work to do." 

"'Sake!!… What the hell?… Hot wax. Gotta get the hot wax…"

*****

"Do I look like a frickin' heater to you?" Ryo frowned over his arms load of clothes at Kento. He struggled down the hall and up to his room. Kento followed behind him like a puppy begging for a treat. He picked up the clothes that fell out of his arms as he followed. "Aw, c'mon, 'Yo! Sai and Sakura's countin' on mee," Kento whined. "And Meg's waitin' out in the car. Don't screw this up for me, man!!"

"Where are you going?"

"Food store. Whadya want? I'm getting all I can get. Mia's gonna freak when the bill comes, but we're starvin'!" Ryo kicked open his bedroom door.

"Kento. We have three hundred pounds of frozen veggies and dinners in the freezer in the basement… We're _not_ starving."

"We have NO CANDY."

"Dude, if this is about you wanting to go on a date with Megami, all you had to do was say so."

"It's not a date," Kento gritted out. "We're goin' ta get food for you ungrateful people."

"Keep talkin' like that and see where it gets you." Ryo began to hang up his clothes casually. Kento got down on his knees. "Pleeeeeeaaaase, Ryo! C'mon. I haven't been with a girl in, like, three years and you're _boinkin'_ Kay on the side, while the rest of us- Ahhhhh, come oooon!"

"I'm not sleeping with Lady Kayura!" he laughed. "Pssh, I wish!"

"What_ever_! Man I've seen you two look at each other at the dinner table."

"Tori sits next to her, you moron. I'm not looking at Kayura."

"You're _cheating_ on her?!" Kento exclaimed.

"NO!" A pause.

"…You're confusing meee!" he cried. Ryo sighed.

"All right, all right!! I'll melt the snow on the road! Just go away!" he moaned. Kento jumped up. "Whoo hoo! Thanks, man!" He paused and watched Ryo for a moment. "Hey, 'Yo?"

"Whaaaat?"

"Um. You scared?" Ryo turned, quite surprised at Kento's change in behavior. He was sitting on his bed. "Scared of what?"

"I-I dunno… Talpa?" Ryo hung up his jeans then sat down next to Kento.

"No. Not Talpa… This Kurai… He's got warriors that are faster than Sai and Kayura. Anubis is an emotional wreck and… That oni… thing! I still have nightmares about that thing. The Ancient's gone… and Kayura's next. I'm freaking terrified…"

"Me too… but that thing Dais dreamed about, 'Amaranthine'? Sounds like a plan."

"Something that's just as strong as Inferno, if not stronger? That would be great, but… at the cost of what? Last time it was our energy. After that whole mess in New York, San Francisco-"

"Don't forget that wacko, Mukara and that freak black armor that turned out to be a last ditch effort of Talpa to get his armors back. Then Suzunagi… _she_ was fucked up. I dunno what to think anymore. I just wanna do normal stuff."

"Ditto… Mia'll find out what Dais found. She always does." Ryo stood. "Come on, Meg's waiting…"

*****

"Go more bubbles! More bubbles!" Kiku splashed Cale who was all ready drenched. "Augh! Kiku! You're getting me all wet!"

"Take a bath, Cale-kun!" She spat a stream of water at him. 

"Ack! No! That's soapy water!" he laughed. He reached for the shampoo and started to wash her hair. "Eww… Soap!" she spat. "Noo! Don't wash my haaiir!"

"Kiku! I have to; you're dirty!" he chuckled. "Sekhmet! Did you find it!?" he called from the hall bathroom. Sekhmet poked his head inside. "Stop yelling! I have a headache!" he snapped. 

A rubber duck hit him square in the forehead. "Ow! You little-"

"Yay! Hi, Sekkie!!" she greeted. "Come play!"

"You heard her," Cale chuckled. Sekhmet sighed heavily and entered the bathroom. "You know I hate children, Cale."

"You don't hate kids. You just don't know how to handle them." A sponge pegged him in the face and giggling met his ears. "Kiku!" he scolded. "Settle. DOWN!" he ordered as she squirmed out of his reach. "Sekkie! Make him stoooop! I don't WANNA wash my hair!" she cried. "I want Granpa tooooo!" Cale and Sekhmet froze. Sekhmet gave Cale a worried look. The older man shrugged. "I don't know!" he whispered. "Uh, Kiku? He can't wash your hair anymore-"

"Sekhmet!!" Cale hissed.

"What?!"

"How cooome?" Kiku splashed gently and blew bubbles in the water.

"U-um, because he told… CALE to wash your hair for him! It's _his_ turn!" he smiled. Cale frowned. "Ohh, okay! Where is Granpa?" Again both men exchanged glances. Cale washed Kiku's hair without any restraint. "Uh… you tell her," Sekhmet whispered.

"Tell her what?"

"Make something up!" he hissed.

"He went on a trip to keep the… the…"

"To see the 'Happy-Face-Man'?" Kiku interjected.

"'Happy-Face-Man'??" they chorused. Cale rinsed her hair.

"Uh huh! Granpa's big brother!" Kiku smiled. Sekhmet lifted the child out of the tub and Cale wrapped her in a large towel. Sekhmet blinked. "Did Kaos have a brother?"

"How the hell should I know!?"

"Come see!"

*****

"S-sai! Stop that!" she scolded playfully. 

"What? Thiiis?" he tickled her sides making her squeal and squirm away from him. "Noo!!!" she laughed. He caught her by the waist.

"No you don't!"

"Let go!!" she giggled. "You're gonna make me ruin the cookies!"

"Give it to Kento. He eats ev'rything. Burned or not."

"Let go!"

"Are you gonna tell me?"

"No!"

"Tell me!" he sang and tickled her again.

"Saiii!! Okay, okay!!" 

"Tell. Me."

"It's down to three of you: You, Ryo, and SaaAGE! AGH NO!" she squealed. Sai released her. "See? It wasn't all that hard!" he smiled.

"You _are relentless_!" she huffed and returned to cutting the cookie dough. 

"So they tell me… So. Ryo, Sage, and… me. Well, let's forget th' first two. What do you like about me?" he asked against her ear.

"Sai. No. We need to concentrate!" She pointed the knife at him and he backed away. "Whoa, whoa, love! Easy!" he retreated a step. She advanced on him and dragged the edge along the top of the apron. She fell silent for a moment, then turned and returned to her work. "I like your accent. It's not playful like Ryo's or polite like Sage's. It's… I dunno. It's different!"

"Okay." Sai flipped through the cookbook and wrote without another word. Sakura turned around. "What? That's it? 'Okay'?"

"What did you want me to say?" he laughed lightly. Sakura fell silent. Instead she blushed. "Never mind, Sai," she mumbled flatly. "Forget it." _Brain dead, just like the rest… Give it up._ She stabbed the dough with the cutter angrily.

"Sakura?" he began. "Are you mad? What did I say?"

"Nothing! Let's just get back to work." Sai approached her from behind and touched her arm. "Hey-"

"I said drop it!" she snapped. Sai grabbed her forcefully and turned her around. He opened his mouth to spout some very angry things when Sakura kissed him squarely and fully on his lips. Her body tensed slightly in anticipation of the outburst of disgust that wasn't coming. Sai however, after a moment of tension, slowly returned the soft and innocent gesture gently. He wrapped one arm, then both around her tiny shoulders, pulling the petite woman as close as they could possibly get. Sakura gripped his sweater and blushed deeply. Instead of pulling away he pressed closer. Sakura shivered slightly when he pulled his lips away and found his dark, sea blue eyes gazing down in tired, half slits that showed her a _very_ different Torrent. She attempted to pull away, but he held her still and captured her mouth again.

"See! Cale-kun! Sekkie! Look!" Kiku called in the hall and pushed the kitchen door open. She pointed to the refrigerator as they entered. Cale stopped still upon the very tender moment between Torrent and Suiko and nudged Sekhmet. They had not heard the kitchen door swing open, nor felt the presence of everyone in the room yet. Sekhmet shook his head with a wry smile and cleared his throat.

"Bugger!" Sai hissed and put some definite space in between Sakura and himself. Her back was still turned and she covered her face, before rushing out of the kitchen. "Sakura! Wait!" He glared at Sekhmet and Cale before chasing after her. "Thank you very much!" he snapped. "Sakura-sama!"

"HEY!!! Looooook!!" Kiku yelled. Sekhmet peered down at the child's drawing and pulled it off the door, his jaw hanging slightly slack. There, staring back at he and Cale, was a very child-like yet _accurate_ picture of Talpa in bright red crayon, grinning. And just as he was attempting to find some silver stitch of reasoning in this dark rain cloud, there in big blue letters was Kiku's name at the bottom corner of the paper. "Uh, Cale?"

"I know… I know! Kiku? Is this-" She threw her arms in the air and smiled.

"_The Happy-Face-Man_! Granpa's brother!" she sang!

"… Did you know?" Cale asked Sekhmet.

"Nothing… Anubis and Kayura?" Cale frowned and returned the picture.

"Why not?! He told Anubis _everything_ and had Kayura as a midnight quickie. Of _course_ they know!!" Sekhmet sighed.

"Sucks to be second best around here, doesn't it?" Cale's eyes fell to a fun shot on the door beside the chore list. Again Mia was at the mercy of Dais' playful antics. "You have _NO_ idea," he growled.

*****

Mia pulled her white snowcap over her ears as a cold wind blew gently. Dais walked along the lake in silence beside her, seemingly unfazed by the cool air. He was too busy thinking about what had occurred earlier in her room. The sting of her hand across his cheek still tingled painfully. There was no doubt that she wasn't incapable of defending herself if need be. He frowned at the instance where he would have to come up with a respectable excuse to explain the large bruise that would more than likely form on his face. He dreaded the weeks of verbal torment from Kayura and Hardrock. Again Mia's agitated and nervous state returned to mind.

"Something on your mind, Dais?" she asked gently, stepping into his path and walking backwards. He smiled gently. "Careful you don't trip, my lady. There are many roots hidden in the snow," he answered, carefully avoiding answering her until he had more time to gather his thoughts. Mia sighed and returned to his side. "… What's the matter? Tell me or else," she threatened playfully.

"Ha ha ha… The same old things: Talpa, the boys… the usual suspects," he chuckled. Mia frowned. "I don't know who is worse at lying you or Kento…" Dais bit his tongue at her persistence. He stopped walking and sighed. "May I ask you something?" he began. She nodded. "I guess…"

"… Are… Are you afraid of me, my lady?" he finished softly. Mia cocked her head in thought and shrugged, kicking the snow with her boot. "I… I dunno. Sometimes… I don't like you very much when you're wearing your helmet, but Sekhmet's is more frightening. Aside from that, I'm not really. Now Anubis still gives me shivers when he comes into a room."

"He does that. Purposely I believe…"

"Why do you ask? Is it because of earlier? Dais. You didn't scare me. I sometimes forget where I am or what I'm doing. You just startled me," she lied through a smile, her face paling slightly. He frowned. "_Now_ who is lying?"

"Dais. I just confused you for someone else, that's all!" she defended quickly.

"Well, I would like to know who. I don't believe you know anyone with an eye patch and a history of blood on his hands," he said sternly and folded his arms. Mia fell silent and turned away, rubbing her arm shyly. "I can't tell you, Dais… Not yet. I'm not ready… You understand?" He stood in front of her and held her shoulders.

"No… but I just want you to know that I'm not the same as I was four years ago. None of us are and you have _nothing_ of which to be afraid. I promise," he told her softly. Mia nodded and pulled away, walking on ahead of him in silence. 

Dais watched her for a few moments. _"I can't tell you, Dais…"_ he recalled.

_"Not as easy to read as you thought, eh, Warrior of Illusions?"_ Dais jumped and turned to find a sapphire locked man that could have been Strata's twin leaning against a tree. Cloaked in the deepest cerulean he had ever seen, he approached Dais and began walking along side him to keep an eye on Mia. Armor the color of silver and clothed wraps of ebony and blue hung from his arms and sheathed broadsword at his jeweled waist. "Who-"

_"That 'brilliant' beast kept hounding me… I am Tenku."_

"I thought you were Strata!" he gasped. Tenku chuckled. "What do you want with me?" he asked after a pause. 

_"Nasake is not listening to my summons. She is wrapped up in this new… 'project' of her and Strata's. However, she has been ignoring me ever since Kaos departed from this plane. It is the same with some of the others, especially Suiko and Rekka."_

"What can _I_ do?"

_"You are the only one telepathically inclined enough that _isn't_ a emotionally unhinged at the moment to even respond."_ Dais frowned slightly. By the tone of his low yet melodic voice things were very bad and growing steadily worse. If he was the only one, then that meant that Kayura was suffering more on the inside than she care to let on. And by the feel of things, this was just the beginning of them. "Tenku. Kaos came to me in a dream a few nights ago. He kept repeating 'Amaranthine' to me. There are files in Lady Mia's possession, but-"

_"Just wait."_

"What? Wait?!" he sputtered.

_"… Just wait."_ He paused._ "The little one, Kiku, is-"_

"DAIS!!" Mia shrieked. Instantly, Tenku's form reverted into his tiger visage and charged after Dais as he rounded the bend in the path. Mia was on the ground up against a large oak with an arrow lodged into her shoulder pinning her to the tree. Blood poured from the point of entry slowly, staining her gloved hand. It gripped the arrow tightly. Dais knelt beside her and scanned around them quickly. "Tenku! Go! Get Halo!" he ordered. The beast nodded and bounded off before disappearing in a gust of wind. Mia opened her eyes and saw soft rose-colored light engulf Dais' clothing. It was torn away by the tendrils of light, revealing a hardened body briefly. The light intensified and smooth, forest green, metallic metal slid over his muscular body from the bottom of his feet to the tips of his fingers. "D-dais…"

"What happened?!" he demanded.

"I was… walking here and I saw a red headed female. Before I knew it, I was pinned to the tree…" Mia winced when he touched the arrow. "Leave it!!" she cried. Dais brushed the hair from her eyes. "… No fever… Did she say anything?"

"… She muttered something… 'Wrong one.' Then left." Dais lifted her wrist and felt her pulse. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you aren't poisoned…" He felt her gasp, appalled that they would use such tactics on a human. Dais wasn't. This arrow wasn't meant for her anyway. He held her hand and his face softened. "You would've been dead all ready." He took the arrow in his hand firmly. Mia screamed. "DOON'T!" He again let go of it. Why couldn't he simply pull it out? Her screams and cries made his stomach turn. 

"Dais!!"

"Oh no! Mia!!" He turned and saw Sage and Rowen rushing to them. Tenku bounded right behind them with Nasake on his back. Sage pulled his glove off with his teeth as he knelt beside Mia. "What the hell?!"

"Mia, you okay?!" Rowen gasped. "'Sake! Be careful! There's something here!" She slipped off of Tenku and scratched his fur. "What happened to Mia?" she asked. 

"A slip up. They mistook Mia for someone else," Dais frowned, having a hunch who it was. He had felt the same presence earlier that week. In fact it was the night before Anubis became conscious. "It's a normal arrow. A warning, but you have to get her back to the house," he finished. He again gripped the arrow tightly and placed the other against Mia's breastbone. Nasake buried her hand into her pocket and pulled out a pocketknife. "Mia. Don't be scared and bite down on this." She hesitantly took the case in between her teeth and searched for Dais' only, but comforting eye. "This will hurt, my lady…" Mia nodded and closed her eyes, holding her breath. In one swift motion, he yanked the arrow free, emitting a painful scream from Mia. He scrambled away and dropped the arrow in the snow. Tenku immediately padded over and picked it up in his teeth while Sage healed the wound. "I'll take her back to the house," he said. 

"Strata you go with her!" Dais ordered and summoned his full armor. "Not you, Tenku…" Tenku and Nasake looked at him. The tiger dropped the arrow at his feet, which had a note tied to the shaft just below the head. Nasake picked it up and unfolded it. "_… I am coming for you and the lady Ancient, Zeal…_" she read. "Zeal? Isn't that-"

"Yes…" Dais unhooked his six-scythed weapon from his back as a cold wind swept through where they stood. "Come out, Zeal!! Let's get this over with!" he snapped. He turned to Nasake. "I'd suggest you do something about protecting yourself, my lady… This could get ugly." Nasake blushed as his formalness and nodded. 

Nasake closed her eyes and suddenly felt her body become as light as air as she was lifted from the ground by a whirlwind. Almost immediately, she was engulfed in a soft sapphire light, with tendrils of power tapering off her glowing body. A dark, cerulean cloak gathered at her shoulders, then seemed to fall like water down her slender now armored body. Onyx armor, glided over her skin warming her chilled body. Her dark blue eyes that peeked out from her cloak shimmered with a power that made the Ronin feel slightly better about confronting the Dynasty. Nasake touched back to the ground and stood beside him warily. 

A light laughter filled the air around them as a bright blue ball of fire crashed down in front of them. Zeal emerged from the frozen flames, still laughing. "Excellent transformation!" Nasake blushed with embarrassment and frowned. Zeal turned to Dais.

"Hello, Rajura… Long time. How's your eye?" she asked and cackled. 

"Fine, no thanks to you," he snarled.

"Did you get that 'little' problem fixed?" she cooed and waggled her finger teasingly. Nasake blushed. _Eww._ Dais' one eye narrowed.

"What do you want?! I know you didn't come to catch '_up_' on old times. Things are different now." Zeal scoffed and removed her spear, fingering the blade delicately.

"Oh, yes. _NOW_ you change your mind… Typical. Just like Anubis… Says one thing, then lies… Oh well." Dais chuckled and began to circle.

"Oh, come now. Anubis isn't all that bad… The smartest thing he ever did was leave the Dynasty and _you_ behind. I'm still trying to figure out if it was Talpa that drove him to leave or just the constant nagging from you and the bad sex left and right-"

"SHUT UP!" Zeal launched a ball of blue light into his stomach, throwing him a few feet into the ground. "Dais!" Nasake and Tenku rushed to the crater. Dais struggled to sit up. "… Real smart, Dais," he muttered and shook the dizziness from his skull. "Let the last thing you do in this world be insulting someone at the pointy end of the stick… Ow…"

"Are you okay?!"

"Look out!" Dais pulled her into the crater as another blast barely missed her. Nasake rubbed her head. "Ow… Great you made her mad!" she snapped. Zeal stood over them and frowned. "Get out of the hole. It's embarrassing." She opened her palm towards them when Tenku tackled her and sank his fangs into her forearm. _"Move now!"_ he ordered. Zeal blasted the Tenku then the crater just as Nasake scrambled away. "Y-y-yikes!"

"You're not used to this are you?" he asked. Nasake ducked by another blast with a whimper. "Not _REALLYYY_!!" 

Tenku crouched in front of Nasake as Zeal approached her. She stopped in front of him and scoffed. "You can barely stand. Give it up!" She froze when Dais' held a small kodachi to her neck. "You first," he snarled. She smiled.

"Tricky, tricky, tricky," she sang. She frowned when her surroundings began to fade and shift into mist and clouds of purple and black. The blade was gone from her neck and so was Dais. She scanned the void warily. "How's this trick?" Dais' voice echoed from around her. He was behind her, then in front of her, above her. "Quit playing games, Ronin! Fight me! Or aren't you man enough? Come on… You couldn't hack it in the bedroom. Make me _proud_ of _something_, Rajura!!" she laughed. 

Dais crouched in front of her, motionless. Her eyes scanned right over him. He slowly reached for his kodachi on the weapon guard on his calf. Zeal's ears pricked as the clasp opened. She smiled and launched another ball in front of her right at Dais. He fell onto his back groaning. His helmet had been knocked clean off and the purple mist vanished. "Tsk, tsk, tsk…" she clicked her tongue at him and pinned him with her foot on his chest. "Almost… You're getting careless in your old age, Rajura…" He growled as she dug her heel into his chest. She sighed. "Too bad," she cooed. "Perhaps that little fool who took my arrow can make you feel all better." Dais' one eye flashed darkly and he snatched her ankle, twisting it viciously until it snapped. Zeal screamed as he threw her from him and pinned her to the ground. "You aren't even half of the woman she is," he snarled. Zeal hissed and dissipated into blue flames, reforming behind him just as he realized what happened. He felt her spear's point at the back of his neck and froze. "You know, I always hated when you were on top," she sneered. "Now _Cale_… Hmm, _that_ was a man…"

_"Shadow Walk!"_

Zeal snapped her head up and saw Nasake dive bombing her. She shielded herself with her arms to only have her feet swept out from under her. The back of her head connected with the ground. She opened her eyes to find herself in total darkness. She scrambled to her feet. She no longer heard the sounds of the forest. She heard nothing but her heartbeat deafening her ears. She clutched her spear warily and turned. She saw nothing. "Where are you, witch?!" she snapped and held out her palm for light. A strong gale of wind swallowed it and sliced her palm. Another blade of wind sliced across her back, then her leg, then and her cheek. Zeal swung hard and hit nothing. A deep low growl of a tiger emanated from behind her. She turned and saw Tenku's silver coat gleaming. She stepped back. Tenku charged her and clawed her chest and she was engulfed by a tempest of wind that sliced her open all over until she retreated in a burst of flames.

Dais gasped as the light returned to his eyes. He saw Nasake lower her bow as the last wisps of flames disappeared. Tenku rubbed her leg affectionately. She turned to find an astonished Dais on the ground. He stood quickly. "What… what _was_ that?!" he gasped. Nasake blushed. "Um… I was watching you train with Kento one day. He was lookin' all around for you. I could see you, but he couldn't somehow. But you hit him and he didn't know where it was coming from! I kinda stole your idea… Sorry," she mumbled shyly. 

"Nononono!" he protested. "… It's… wow…" Nasake blushed further.

"L-let's go see how Mia's doin'…" she said.

_Wow. This was a long one, ne? Yes. This fic does have the Ronins in their new armors from Suzunagi. I'm trying to keep everything as close to the original story as I can. I apologize for the confusion. Sorry for all the Dais fans out there! I wanted to get a fight scene with him sooner, but oh well… wait until Cale-oops! THAT is a secret! ^ ^_

_Ja' na!___


	22. The HeMan Women Haters Club sorta

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Twenty-Two: "The He-Man Women Haters Club"… sorta.

Nasake looked behind her as Dais was following more slowly up the path to the house. She slipped off of Tenku. It was then she noticed he was limping slightly on his ankle. "Dais? Can you make it back to the house?"

"Huh? What?"

"Your ankle… Tenku can carry you-"

_"I'm not a horse,"_ he grumbled. Nasake frowned. 

"No, you're a really big kitty that might as well _BE_ a horse! It's only up the path!" Dais chuckled. "I'm fine just…" He frowned darkly at the arrow, "very… preoccupied at the moment. When was the last time you saw, Anubis?"

"Um, in the bathroom. Lady Kayura was talking to him about something serious… I feel bad for him." Dais scoffed and disappeared in a flash of dark fuchsia light. Nasake looked around and frowned. "I hate it when they do that…"

*****

Anubis unwrapped his arm and smiled slightly in approval. The burn mark was gone. He tossed the bandage in the waist basket of the hall bathroom as he exited. An arrow lodged itself in the wall, barely grazing his cheek before he even cleared the doorway. "DAH!" He gaped wide-eyed at the rather long arrow still settling in the drywall. Dais stood with his arms folded. He was still in his sub armor. "GODS!… What happened to you?!" Anubis exclaimed when he saw the slightly battered condition of his armor and the cut on his right cheek. "When did you plan on telling the rest of us that Zeal was here?" he demanded and opened his angry ice eye. Anubis pulled the arrow from the wall with a glare. "I don't know what you mean-"

"Lying was never your strong suit, Anubis. Might I suggest you don't try to prove that fact wrong or you shall wind up a very unpleasant man," Dais snapped. Anubis was silent for a moment. Dais began to circle his younger comrade slowly. "You know I was wondering how you had gotten loose. Only Kayura or one of us could have released you. No one is confessing to it… The only other person who could have was here, in this house, is Zeal… She is a _damned warlord_!!" 

"She had my armor! What was I supposed to do?!" he snapped.

"Gods, I dunno… How about _CALL FOR HELP_?" Anubis started down the hall.

"She would have killed Tori if I didn't talk to her. She didn't come to fight." Dais snatched his arm up with the arrow. "_Right_. Then tell me how this arrow found it's way into Lady Mia's shoulder?!" he demanded. Anubis froze. "That's right. Your little chickadee thought Mia was Rekka. And while you were hoping for her to get into bed with you, she used you to drop your guard!! You're lucky she didn't kill Tenku and I," Dais warned, "or for your sake, Mia… I was lucky young Tenku was there!" Anubis wrenched his arm away angrily.

"You're lying."

"Why would I have reason to!?" he shouted. "See for yourself if you don't believe me!" He presented the note that had been attached to the arrow. Anubis read it and stayed silent. "You know her script like the features on her face… Zeal is _evil_ and she won't stop until she's killed you and everyone else…"

"Hey… What's all the yelling about? I'm trying to take a nap…" Tori mumbled and poked her head out of her room. She glared at the two men sleepily. She noticed the arrow and stepped out. "Okay, what's all this about? I kept hearing my name." Dais snatched the arrow from Anubis. "Mia was attacked by Zeal this morning. She thought Mia was you." 

"Is she okay?!" she exclaimed.

"She's fine." Tori breathed a sigh and yawned again.

"Why… me? She think I'm some chick who stole her man?" she asked nonchalantly. Dais cleared his throat. "… It's very likely. She's _extremely_ possessive." Tori blinked with a heavy blush. "I was _SERIOUSLY _kidding, Dais…" She finally noticed the cut on his cheek. "Did she do that?!" He colored at her concern and covered it.

"I'm fine. Your friend, Tenku was there… Very impressed, although she had me worried for a little while…" He paused and passed a glance at Anubis. "Anyway, please be careful."

"Sure… I'm awake now." Anubis grabbed Dais by the shoulder and turned him to face him. "Are you done interrogating me?"

"I'm serious, Anubis. Any more of this and you'll get us all killed. I know you feel bad about Kaos, but seeking comfort from the enemy is no excuse." Tori's eyes widened.

"Wait! Whaaaat?!" Anubis glared at Dais and turned on his heel, walking away. "Anubis!!" Dais held her back.

"Let him be." 

"But…" She sighed. Dais peered at her closely.

"You seem to be feeling better." Tori flushed and lowered her eyes.

"Not really… It's getting easier somehow. I can feel the difference from yesterday."

"Must be your guardian's doing."

"Maybe."

"Have you talked to him recently?" Tori shook her head.

"… N-no. I-I can't."

"Why?"

"He reminds me too much of 'Jiisan and Anubis. I can't help but feel angry at him." Dais laid a hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't Anubis' fault. If you're going to be angry, then you should hate all four of us. We all were there…" She didn't reply. Dais smiled softly. "He went down fighting, Rekka." She looked up in slight shock, then nodded tearfully.

*****

Kento frowned at Ryo as he watched Megami cheer happily when the snow finally was cleared, for the most part. "Yaaay! Go Ryoo!" she beamed and kissed the boy on the cheek. Ryo flushed and eyed a dangerously silent Hardrock nervously. "Heh, heh… No problem, Megami…" he gasped and doubled over to catch his breath. _All the way to the road… Ten miles and back… Fun. NOT…_

"C'mon Kento-kun! That food's not gettin' any fresher!" and hopped into the car. Kento followed her after mentally pounding Ryo into the ground. Ryo waved nervously as he pulled away. "I'm so dead…" he groaned with a smile. He turned to go back into the house, but stopped as he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. _Ohh, great…_ A surprisingly warm breeze blew from behind and he whipped around quickly. There, perched on the wooden fence, was the Warlord of Hatred herself. "YOU!"

"Good morning, Wildfire," she began smugly and hopped down from the fence. Ryo armed himself with his Wildfire swords. "Stay back!"

"Why do you hesitate, boy?" she chuckled. Ryo swallowed hard in recollection of what he knew happened between Managi and Sekhmet. The man swore he wouldn't let any harm befall her, but then again, he couldn't just _let_ her beat the fire out of him. However before he could even decide, she threw her whip far aside and towards Wildfire. "Hey lady, what the crap are ya doin'?!" Ryo sputtered, quite confused. This was not quite the same babe that nearly crushed him several weeks ago. "I bring you a warning. Leave. Leave this house! Leave this valley! Take the children and the girls far away from here…" she pleaded. Ryo kept his swords up as she approached him, her hands up defensively. "Wildfire please…"

"Why? What's Talpa planning?" he demanded. "Why are you helping us? You're a freaking _warlord_! Why should I believe anything you say?!" 

"Are you willing to risk the lives that cannot even protect themselves? I do not see any reason why you shouldn't listen especially after what happened to Kaos-"

"_SHUT UP_!!" he roared, still thoroughly pissed off that she had been telling the truth but offered no other help to try and save him. Her words were just empty to him.

"I take a great risk coming to you," she frowned.

"Yes, but _WHY_? Is it because of Sekhmet?" She stepped back slightly and lowered her eyes. "… I have warned you, Wildfire. Please. Take heed to it."

"Wait a minute! Do you want to talk to Sekhmet? What-"

"… Soon," she whispered and disappeared in a whirlwind of blood red petals. Ryo lowered his swords and hung his head. "Dammit…" He sheathed the Swords of Wildfire and spotted something in the snow.

*****

"Eww! Noooo!" Kiku whined and covered her mouth with her hands, glaring up at Cale. He sighed heavily. "Kiku, come on! Mia says it's good for you!"

"You eat it!" she snapped. Cale frowned.

"If I do will you eat it?" Kiku nodded slowly, her hands still over her mouth. Cale peered inside the jar of mashed carrots and took a decent size spoonful in his mouth. He wished he hadn't.

Oh, how he _hadn't_… Kiku began to giggle at the strange face Cale was making in complete disgust. He swallowed and peered at the jar again. _How can these humans eat this?! These are NOT carrots. Strata's cooking is more digestible than… eeeeyugh._

"See! It's yucky!" Cale nodded and tossed the jar in the trash.

"I agree, little one!"

Mia entered the kitchen with Rowen in his over protective mode on high. "Mia! You should not be walking around!" he ordered. "Go back to bed!"

"Rowen! Leave me alone! I'm fine!" she snapped and snatched her apron from the hook by the pantry. Cale stood slowly. "Strata, what happened to her?"

"Someone from the Dynasty shot her in the chest with an arrow!" he exclaimed.

"That's not true Rowen and you know it!"

"WHAT?" Cale gaped. "Gods, are you all right?!" Mia moaned in agitation.

"I'm FINE! And I was hit in the shoulder. Look!" She began to open her shirt, making Cale blush upon him seeing an ample chest laced in black silk. _Hello- NO! Ack, dammit, it's beneath you, beneath you, Mia beneath-AHH! _ Cale snatched the blouse shut and looked away. "Y-yes. Right, right!" he mumbled quickly.

"Look! I'm just worried about you, Mia. Remember how ya fainted a few weeks ago? You've been looking sick for a while too." Rowen's voice was sounding quite concerned. Upon Strata's mention of the word 'sick', Cale had noticed her flinch very subtly and grow pale. She then frowned. "What about _you_, Cale? Just yesterday you were bedridden with a blistering fever-"

"I've completely recovered from that, my lady," he interjected with a raise of his eyebrow, "and don't change the subject. I've survived at least ten plagues. I don't think a fever will finish me." Mia's face darkened.

"You're not going to let me cook today, are you?" Handsome smiles greeted her an answer. "Nope!" She tossed her apron aside.

"Fine. Be sure to tell Sai-" She stopped. She had finally taken notice of the messy kitchen. "What happened in here?" Cale laughed nervously.

"Uh, Torrent and Suiko were in the middle of making dinner this morning to help ease everyone," he began.

"And?"

"Well, Sekhmet and I sort of… walked in on them in the middle of a little 'moment'." Rowen gasped with a grin.

"Sai? We're talking about shy little Sai and Sakura??" Cale nodded.

"Uh, yes… Suiko ran off. Poor thing. Must have embarrassed the hell out of her!" Mia frowned.

"Cale!"

"WHAT? We didn't do it on _purpose_!! Anyway he ran off after her about an hour ago." Mia crossed her arms and sighed. "Tell them to clean this up!" she ordered and left the kitchen. Rowen still had a smile on his face. "How long were you two there?"

"Good ten or fifteen seconds. Why-oohhhh. STRATA!" he snapped. "They were kissing that's all!" Rowen's face fell.

"Oh."

"I swear. Sometimes you are worse than Hardrock!"

"You flatter me!" he chuckled. There was a crash in the pantry. Cale and Rowen jumped and opened the door. Kiku was on the floor of the pantry with her arm buried in the cereal box. Her face was smeared with cookie crumbs from the now empty bag. Rowen picked it up. "Aw, man! Kiku!" he scolded. "This was the last bag!" Cale picked the child up. She had started to cry. "I'm hungry!!"

"Well, you're not supposed to have these until after dinner. Man, Sai's gonna freak!" Kiku hid her face in Cale's neck. 

"Strata!" he hissed. "Lord. You're acting like there's no more food!"

"She ate an entire bag of cookies, Cale!"

"So she takes after Hardrock! She's barely out of diapers! She doesn't know any better," he frowned. Rowen frowned back.

"Cale, she's turning you soft, man."

He froze on his way out of the pantry. He suddenly felt very possessive of the small child in his arms. "Well, someone's got to be a father for this child. I don't see you jumping for the responsibility!" 

"No. I'm busy making sure I _can_ be one later on in my older years by kicking Talpa's ass!" Kiku hiccupped and sniffled.

"Come on, little one. Let's clean you up," he said softly. He left the kitchen without another word to Strata. He was rather disturbed by his cold behavior especially towards a little girl. However, he did strangely feel a need to clutch the little girl to him as he carried her to the bathroom.

*****

Sai leaned his head on the door of her bathroom. He had been at this for an hour. "Sakura… please come out and talk to me. I'm sorry that I made you feel uncomfortable. C'mon, love." He banged his head gently and slid to the floor. _What is she? Asleep?_ The water that had been running on the other side for a good twenty minutes suddenly stopped. He sighed. "Sakura-sama… At least come and help me finish dinner. I can't do it all by meself." The door opened slowly and Sai scrambled to his feet in record time. Sakura's head was low as she approached him. "… A-are you feeling better?" he murmured. She nodded.

"I'm sorry… I… shouldn't have… kissed you. Masaki-san's death as screwed up my thinking," she mumbled. "Forget about that…"

"I'm not angry!" he chuckled lightly. "I'm just concerned whether or not you like me," he admitted softly. He sighed when she did not answer. "Look… I'll be honest with you. I like you. _A lot_ in fact, but I'm not going to ask you to do anything f'me. It's out in the open for you to think about. We're not getting any younger here and future plans have just been blow all to hell. I'm here if you need me, love… I think that's what everyone needs. Some-" Sakura wrapped her arms around his chest slowly and hugged him tightly. "-love." 

"… Thanks, Sai. I feel better," she murmured. 

"… Torrent? Suiko?" Cale called from the doorway. Kiku was cuddled in his neck, asleep. Sai pulled away from Sakura with a blush. Cale looked a little bothered. "Lady Mia was injured today… It's a long story, but she says you two better clean up the kitchen before all hell breaks loose," he said, then realized the tragic play on words. Sai frowned slightly. Cale sighed. "You know what I mean, Torrent…"

"Something wrong, Cale?" she asked. "You look upset…"

"Hm? Uh, no… I'm fine. I'm going to put her to bed. Have you seen Halo, Wildfire, and Sekhmet?"

"I haven't seen Sage all day, but Ryo passed by here on the way to Sekhmet's room a little while ago. Why?"

"I think it would be a wise idea to look around a little before something happens again." He paused and sighed. "… About earlier, I-"

"Don't worry about it, Cale," Sakura smiled. "Come on, Sai, before Mia goes Talpa on our asses."

"Talpa Vs Mia… Scary," Sai chuckled. 

*****

Ryo pulled his knee up to his chest as he sat on Sekhmet's trunk at the foot of the bed. He stared silently at the thorned whip in Sekhmet's shaking hands. He hadn't uttered a word since Wildfire presented the weapon to him. He sat down slowly. "… She was here?" he asked. Ryo nodded silently.

"I cleared the road for Meg and Kento. They left and she appeared after. She gave me a warning about getting the girls and the kids outta here. I still don't know if I can believe her, but she was right about the Ancient being targeted." Sekhmet sighed heavily. "What do ya think we should do?" Ryo asked after more silence. Sekhmet stood and motioned him to follow. "Hold a meeting. There's not much we can do at this point. Don't tell the girls just yet. I don't want to scare them anymore than they all ready are…"

"Then why are they here?" Ryo asked, halting the former warlord halfway through the door. "Just get the other guys. We'll tell the girls later. I don't need them fretting about nothing if it comes to it. That's just more headaches we have to deal with."

"I guess you're right."

*****

Rowen stared intently at the mass of random junk that was spread across Nasake's carpet. He picked up something that looked like it was from way before his time. "'Sake?… What the hell is this??" She looked up quickly and took it in her hands.

"Dunno. Looks old though. Where did you find it?"

"Box." He tossed her the thin cardboard box, not looking up from the mass of things. "EeeW!!" she squealed and tossed both back at them! 

"Ow! What's yer problem?!" he snapped and rubbed his forehead. Her face was stained bright red. "D-d-d-didn't you read the box?!"

"I can't read French, 'Sake!" She showed him the translation and blushed further as he read aloud. "… _Manual operated_…" he froze and blew the dust off the box's picture. "Oh my god…" he flushed. "This is… OLD," he laughed. "Nineteen sixty one…" He casually pushed them aside with his foot and pulled the box over to him. Nasake peered over his shoulder as they looked inside. "… _'Property of… Koji'_ I can't read the first name," he read on the side of the storage box's flap. Nasake tapped his shoulder nervously. "What?"

"… Um, I think we should put these back. I think these are… Mia's grandpa's things," she blushed. Rowen looked around them and sighed. 

"Yep. We are sitting in a big, dirty, dusty pile of Granpa Koji's-"

"Don't say it, Rowen!! Have you no respect for the dead?!" she hissed softly quickly returning the obscene items to the box. Rowen turned his head to her and smirked. "I've got pleeeenty of new respect for Gramps…" Rowen picked up another 'relic' from the past. "Hey 'Sake… I got an idea…" he smiled.

"What?…….. Rowen. NO." He just chuckled to himself.

"I… need to have a long talk with Sekhmet later. He'll get a kick out of this."

"Strata?" Sekhmet poked his head into the bedroom. He opened his mouth to continue when he saw a _very…_ suggestiveobject in his hands. "What is _that_?" he asked. Rowen hid it behind his back. "N-nothing!!… What's up?" Sekhmet raised his eyebrow.

"… Right. Anyway. Meeting. Study. Now." Sekhmet saw the embarrassed blush drain from his face and be replaced with concern. "What's wrong?" he demanded. Nasake stood slowly. Sekhmet eyed her quickly. "… Not here."

"Sekkie?"

"… Uh, we need to discuss the matter with the others. You and the girls won't be sitting in," he said. Nasake frowned.

"What? Why?" Sekhmet started down the hall.

"Strata, help me find the others…" Rowen glanced back at Nasake who just stood there with her arms folded looking very pissed. "Sorry 'Sake-"

"Save it, Rowen… Just go," she said flatly and snatched it away from Rowen, tossing it back in the box. She grabbed it and carried it back to the attic, very angry.

*****

Domo wiped her eyes from all the laughing. Yuli was grinning on the floor quite pleased with himself and his storytelling. "Aw! He really-? Hahahaha!!"

"Yeah! Dais and Kento! Sage has got Polaroids of them somewhere. Wanna go look? I think they're in his room." Domo crawled under the giant bridge, shimmied around three four-foot buildings and over a small suburb of Legos®. "Yeah, I guess so… Damn kid. You gotta have at least twenty thousand pieces of this stuff!"

"Lots of relatives…" he sighed. "I've got more at my old house, but me and Mia haven't been back there since Talpa first attacked. Mom and Dad were killed that day so, the house is probably gone now."

"… That's awful, Yuli," Domo murmured. Yuli brushed off his blue jeans and stretched. "S'okay. Let's go find those pics before Sage catches us." There was a knock at the door. "Domo! Open up!" Tori called. "C'mon!" 

"God, what?" she snapped and opened the door. Tori looked kinda pissed so did Nasake, Sakura, and Lady Kayura who stood behind her. "W-what's wrong?"

"The _boy scouts_ are having a secret meeting and we can't go," Nasake grumbled. 

"Yeah, Ronins only. Pshh…" 

"I hate it when they do this to me!" Kayura snapped.

*****

"You did _what_?!" Sekhmet exclaimed. "What the hell were you thinking, Anubis?! She could have killed her!!" Ryo attempted to stop the closing space between Anubis and Sekhmet. "Yo! Easy, Sekh! Cool it! Let him explain-" He shoved him away angrily.

"There is _nothing_ else to explain, Wildfire! His libido will get us all killed!"

"That's a first out of your mouth, Sekhmet," Cale miffed.

"Shut up!"

"Nothing happened!!!" Anubis shouted back. Sekhmet laughed bitterly.

"Of _course_ nothing happened… Nothing _ever_ happened between you two," he finished with a cruel smirk. With an inarticulate snarl, Anubis delivered a hard punch onto his mouth, sending him to the floor. Sage and Cale snatched Anubis by the arms, holding him back. "What the fuck are you doing?!" Rowen demanded. Sekhmet got up from the floor and wiped the dark blood from his lips with a threatening glare before lunging at him landing a punch right back at him. Dais and Ryo tore him off of Anubis and pinned him to the rug. Anubis thrashed inside Halo and Cale's grip. "… You son of a-"

"Easy, easy!" Cale snapped. Dais twisted Sekhmet's arm around his back and snagged his hair roughly. "Let it go!" he snapped.

"Get off of me you, bastard!" Sekhmet shouted.

"Cool it, man!!" Ryo ordered. 

"Jesus! Are you two insane!?" Rowen exclaimed. Anubis spat blood and glared down at Sekhmet. "We'll let you two go if you settle down!" Cale suggested. Anubis jerked angrily and snarled. Cale responded and snagged his hair roughly. "All right! Grh!" Cale shoved him away. Anubis retreated to the far end of the study and punched the wall before sitting down next to Torrent. He wiped his mouth again, still bleeding. Dais and Ryo let Sekhmet up a moment later. "Now, Anubis… Why did you let Zeal into the house aware to the fact that you could have endangered everyone, including the children, around you?" Dais asked. Anubis folded his arms and turned his head to look out the window. "… I didn't let her in. I was chained to my bed. Remember? I don't know how she got inside my room! She was the one who freed me, okay?! Nothing happened! She tried convincing me to return with her. When I told her no, she made a threat… She wants to kill Tori because she is under the impression that I was unfaithful to her with Tori…. She left after that," he finished softly. "I couldn't call for help because she had drugged Tori with something. I had no way of knowing that she hadn't done it to the entire household! She had my armor as well… That's all that happened!" he exclaimed. "And what does this have to do with anything?! Wildfire was talking to Managi but an hour ago!!"

"Wildfire isn't infatuated with the enemy!" Sekhmet snapped.

"Oh and you aren't?! Who was the one that made a vow not even a month ago that he would kill _anyone_ friend or foe if he did harm to Managi?! "

"All right, all right!!" Ryo shouted, "That is enough!! This isn't why we pulled everyone in here! Yes, I did talk to her, but she gave me a warning to get the girls and the kids out of here fast. I don't know if she's telling the truth, but I don't know if we can not believe her. She was right about the Ancient One after all and he's dead."

"Well, we can't leave. The barrier will weaken enough for Talpa to let loose his forces again," Sai said. "Then they can follow us to where ever we go! Managi knows that."

"So what do we do?" Sage asked. "They've taken the runes, which the reason why is still unknown, they've targeted the Ancients… Maybe they both are connected somehow?"

"Kaos used the runes to help create the armors and to seal Talpa. Maybe destroying them and killing Kaos will break it," Dais thought aloud. Ryo sighed heavily,

"But Kayura didn't have anything to do with that. What would killing her do?"

"No more Ancients, means no more barrier," Sai answered. Rowen shook his head. "Nah. Talpa tried that all ready and he had three of the nine armors' help. Now he has none. He wouldn't stand a chance…" Ryo sighed.

"… Kurai," Anubis murmured. 

"What about him?" Dais asked.

"We are going to have to assume that when Talpa stole the runes, that he had in his possession the missing darkness rune. Otherwise, how could he have known about them in the first place? Talpa may not be just trying to free himself this time… I think that killing the Ancients and destroying the runes will free him and Kurai."

"But how does Lady Kayura fit into the puzzle? Just because she's the Ancient now doesn't mean that she needs to die," Sai said softly.

"Unfortunately, that is _exactly_ why she may need to die. It's the staff that gives them power."

"Then why not destroy the staff?" Sage asked. Anubis shook his head and stood up with a sigh. "Could you ever destroy the sun? Or how about the fabric of time? You can't. However, if you kill the only thing that can control it-"

"- then no one can use it against you. I see," Ryo finished. "But you can use it can't you?" Anubis stared at his sharp teal eyes in the reflection of the mirror on the wall.

"… True. Unfortunately… I am _not_ completely human, nor completely demon. I am the only one of my kind. The Ancient acted through me during the last battle…"

"So lemme get this straight: Kaos and Talpa fought a really long time ago. Talpa lost and Kaos broke up his armor making ours with the runes. The darkness rune went awol so he had to use himself in place of it, along with the other runes to seal Talpa away. Now he's back, he knows about them and he's gonna free Kurai by breaking them and killing them both. And the honies that Kaos brought are supposed to seal Kurai away if that happens. Is that right?"

"In a nutshell," Anubis replied. Rowen breathed.

"Some damn nutshell… So all we gotta do is keep her safe or get the runes back?"

"Easier said than done," Sai groaned. "I say we don't just lie an' wait for 'em like we've been doing. Let's just see if we can get the runes back ourselves."

"Impossible. The negative energy would turn you or drive you insane trying to fight it," Sekhmet said.

"What if we ask the Guardians what to do?" Dais suggested. "I was speaking to Tenku just before Mia was hurt."

*****

Tori pressed her ear against the sliding wall of the study along with Domo, Nasake, Sakura, and Lady Kayura.

_"…Why did you let Zeal into the house aware to the fact that you could have endangered everyone, including the children, around you?" _Dais asked_._

_"… I didn't let her in. I was chained to my bed. Remember? I don't know how she got inside my room! She was the one who freed me, okay?! Nothing happened! She tried getting me to return with her. When I told her no, she made a threat… She wants to kill Tori because she is under the impression that I was unfaithful to her with Tori…. She left after that…_ _I couldn't call for help because she had drugged Tori with something. I had no way of knowing that she hadn't done it to the entire household! She had my armor as well… That's all that happened! And what does this have to do with anything?! Wildfire was talking to Managi but an hour ago!!"_

_"Wildfire isn't infatuated with the enemy!"_ Sekhmet snapped.

_"Oh and you aren't?! Who was the one that made a vow not even a month ago that he would kill anyone friend or foe if he did harm to Managi?! "_

_ "All right, all right!!"_ Ryo shouted.

"What the crap is going on in there?" Domo hissed softly. Kayura shrugged and put her finger to her lips. "Be quiet and maybe we can find out!" Sakura pulled away from the thin door. "Maybe we shouldn't be doing this? I mean, if they are having a meeting that excludes us, maybe it's better if we don't." Tori scoffed.

"Tch. Right, Sakura. If someone was withholding info from you about some terminal illness wouldn't you wanna know about it first before they started barking out weird treatments and crap?"

"That's different, Tori and you know it. I just think that they may want to discuss the best way to go about this whole thing. Maybe they don't want us to worry."

"And maybe I'll get married to Anubis and have twelve kids. Get real, man," Tori whispered angrily and tried to listen.

_"In a nutshell," Anubis replied. Rowen breathed._

_ "Some damn nutshell… So all we gotta do is keep her safe or get the runes back?"_

_ "Easier said than done," Sai groaned._

Nasake frowned. "Man, we missed it!" she mumbled.

"Way to go, you two," Domo grumbled. Tori and Sakura frowned and stayed silent. Kayura sighed heavily. The three girls watched her stand and move away from the door. She wrung her hands nervously. "Lady Kayura?" Nasake began. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yes… I'm a little paranoid. If Talpa ordered the death of Kaos… I'm next. I'm just…" She crouched onto the ground and covered her head with her arms. "I'm afraid, Tenku!" she whimpered. 

"Come on. I'll make you some hot tea, okay?" she murmured and helped her to her feet. Sakura followed. "I think we're out. I'll help look though." She turned to Tori and Domo who were still listening intently. "Are you two going to be there all day?"

"Probably," Tori replied.

"… I think I got a right to know if we're all doomed. Maybe I can get a half decent lay before I go," Domo murmured and brushed Sakura away quickly. Tori turned to her.

"Domo! What about Ryu?" she hissed.

"… I was kidding."

"Riiight. You're so pervy."

"I am not!" she snapped. Tori shook her head and listened again.

_"So that's it, huh?"_ Sai groaned._ "Sitting ducks… Bloody hell…"_

_ "What else can we do?"_ Anubis asked. _"If we leave, there's no where to go. If we stay… I just don't want any of them to get hurt again. I want to at least salvage what little trust Tori has in me from what happened. Sekhmet over there wants to tear my head off-"_

_ "Oh, you wish, you little bastard,"_ he chuckled.

_"- and to top it all off: Kayura is in serious danger. I feel safer here. That way we don't have to worry about the rest of the world. We can't handle it,"_ Anubis finished.

_"… Well, then… I suppose doing another patrol wouldn't hurt,"_ Cale suggested. _"Anyone up to join me? I can' t sit here and do nothing."_

_ "Me 'n' Sage are free,"_ Ryo murmured.

_"Good. Sekhmet?"_

_ "… No… I've got something I just remembered I had to do. Besides, someone has to look after the girls here."_

_ "Anubis?"_

_ "… I… I can't."_ A silence fell over the room.

"It got really quiet," Tori whispered.

"You're quick."

"… Bite me."

"I dunno where you've been."

"Pervy elf."

"You know it…" Tori punched Domo playfully in the arm.

"Dork." Domo frowned and rubbed her arm.

"Skank," and hit her back.

"Oh, it's on now, ho."

*****

"Good. Sekhmet?"

"… No… I've got something I just remembered I had to do. Besides, someone has to look after the girls here."

"Anubis?"

"… I… I can't," he mumbled and stood quickly. He grimaced slightly as his head began to pound. 

"Anubis?" Dais began. "What's wrong?"

"… Nothing. Headache… I've had it all day."

_"Dork."_

A thump was heard. Sage lifted his eyes to the door. 

_ "Oh, it's on now, ho."_

Ryo raised his eyebrow and slid the sliding door open. Tori and Domo rough housing in the middle of the hall. Domo had Tori in a chokehold and Tori had snagged Domo's long hair. "Ow! Dirty fighter!"

"Ack… Leggo!" Tori coughed. She elbowed Domo and pinned her to the hardwood floor. They finally noticed the boys standing over them. Anubis, Sai, and Cale looked a little annoyed. Domo knocked Tori on the head and gestured to all of their spectators. "Ow! What?!"

She looked up and realized the very suggestive position they were in. She colored and swallowed hard. "Oops…"

"Damn. Where's the mud when you need it?" Rowen smiled. Sage frowned and slugged him in the arm. Domo smirked. "Hey fellas."

"Don't 'hey fellas' us," Cale snapped.

"Just how long where you there?" Sai demanded. Tori slipped off of Domo and stood slowly. She then realized how tiny she seemed among the circle. "Uh…"

"Cool it, Sai. We didn't hear anything important. I'm bored. Cale when are we leaving to patrol?" A bit surprised, Cale momentarily forgot the words.

"I… uh, now?"

"Great! Later guys… Oh, Sage! You owe me twenty bucks."

"For what?!" he demanded.

"Unless you don't want to find yourself at the mercy of Strata's dastardly revenge-"

"Fine!"

"What is he talking about, Sage?" Ryo asked.

"Nothing!" Sage and Rowen exclaimed. Tori swallowed nervously.

"Am I in trouble? Cause I wanna go practice some more…" 

"… Need a sparring partner?" Anubis asked suddenly. Tori turned to him in shock. She pushed past Sage and Rowen swiftly. "Do what you want. I could care less…" She disappeared down the hall.

Domo saw the sudden hurt in Anubis' stature before he masked it quickly and gracefully retreated down the hall. _… Poor guy._

"Korin?" Dais asked before she joined Cale, Sage, and Ryo down the hall.

"What?"

"Where is your friend, Tenku?"

"You mean 'Sake?" Rowen laughed on his way into the study.

"Get used it, baby!" Dais cleared his throat.

"Um… yes."

"Kitchen with Lady Kay. Kay was really upset about the whole death certificate on her forehead…" Dais nodded and disappeared down the hall without a word. _Riiiight._

"Korin! Hurry up!" Cale ordered.

"Ah, go freeze someone in a kiddie pool…"

"What was that!?"

"Nothing, Caaaale!" she sang. 

_Can't you just picture all of the Ronins in a little clubhouse and having one of those: NO GIRLS ALLOWED signs out front? I think that would be just too cute. Especially that whole soapbox derby they had in the "Little Rascals" movie! Eee! But don't worry. Our Ronins just LOOOVE us girls. ^ ^ I use the term HEAVILY. Tee hee!_


	23. A Hate with the Fire of a Thousand Suns

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Twenty-Three: A Hate with the Fire of a Thousand Suns

*Okay… There are flashbacks. I know they aren't correct. Gimme a break…*

Megami loaded the last of the grocery bags into the back of the pick-up truck. She felt a sudden and bitter wind against her cheek, and she shivered. Without any thought, she turned and looked back at the darkened store. When they had arrived, it was deserted. The windows and lights had all been smashed, making it known that this store had been looted a while ago. Luckily, the cold weather and the refrigeration had been spared; she and Kento were able to gather most of the items that Sai had requested. They had both completely combed over the entire store for any sign of Dynasty activity, but found none. Yet, for some reason she felt that there was something _very_ wrong then. "Hey, Kento-kun?" she called, not taking her eyes off of the building.

"Yeah? C'mon you damned piece of crap! START!" he snapped at the engine. Megami secured the back latch and slid into the passenger side. "Um… Do you feel anything?" Kento turned the engine again, not really paying attention to what she was saying. "What? Feel anything? I'm _pissed_ that's what I'm feeling! Come on baby, staaart…"

"No! Something doesn't feel right around here…" she said and looked out the window. Kento frowned and folded his arms, glaring at the steering wheel. "Yeah, we're stranded…" Megami frowned and flew out of her side of the car. She went around to his side and opened the door. "Get out…" she ordered.

"What?"

"Are you deaf as well as hardheaded, Hardrock?! Get the fuck out!!" she snapped. Kento _quickly_ obeyed, and he slid into the passenger side Megami got inside and looked down at the gauges on the dashboard. "Gas, full. Oil. Lights, working… Gears in park… Heat, off. Fan, off… _Radio_, off," she listed out loud to herself. She popped the trunk and stepped out. She looked inside. "Anti-freeze… full. Hmm." She closed the hood carefully, then without warning kicked the side of the engine. Kento paled. "What the _hell_ are you doing?!?!" he demanded. "Are you fucking _nuts_?!" Megami sighed and stepped into the truck again. She turned the key and the engine turned over easily. She shut the door and smiled. "Yay!" Kento's jaw dropped.

"I _love_ you!"

"Kentoo!" she giggled.

"Seriously!"

*****

Sekhmet gently dusted the snow off of Kaos' grave marker. He sighed heavily and kneeled beside it. "… Keep forgetting that you aren't even buried here. Lady Kayura and Lady Mia did a pleasant job here," he said softly. He sat in front of it. "… Rekka is talking now. She still is very upset that you died. She understands why… but she blames Anubis, you know. Feh, I would too. He never thinks before saying or acting… Zeal paid us a visit, and he didn't even think to tell is about it!" He stopped abruptly, realizing that he was thinking aloud. He picked up a rock and threw it at a branch. "Damn him."

_* "Are you feeling well, my love?" Sekhmet asked. He touched the feverish cheek of his empress gently. "I am fine, Naotoki…" Managi replied softly. She pulled away from him. He caught her by the arm._

_ "No, you are not," he said sternly. "What is wrong?"_

_ "… I… Oh, please don't be upset when I tell you this…"Sekhmet chuckled softly and pulled her into his arms. She buried her face in the silken cloth of his tunic and shuddered. "Managi?"_

_ "… It has been three moon cycles and… I'm late."_

_ "'Late'? What do you mean by that?" She looked shyly up at him. A fear in her eyes that was alien to him made him uneasy. What she had to say was frightening her to the very core. She nodded slowly._

_ "… Y-yes. I am three months with your unborn child. I found out from the castle nurse this morning."*_

Sekhmet dug into his pocket and removed the wedding ring. "Gods… I wish I could have at least known if it were a boy or girl…"

"… What would you have named them?" Anubis asked softly from the edge of the path that emptied into the clearing. Sekhmet's head snapped upward. The younger warrior approached him slowly. His demeanor was almost child-like. Dark violet and indigo-flecked eyes glared up at him, and Sekhmet stood, turning his back. How _dare_ he ask? 

"I didn't know," Anubis continued softly. 

"Even if you did know," Sekhmet began with a pained laugh. He let out an exasperated sigh. "I am just _glad_ that my child wasn't alive to know what kind of _beast _you are," he spat. "You killed my people, destroyed my home, took from me my wife and unborn child… and you want to know what I would have named it!" he laughed. "You are unbelievable…" Sekhmet turned and saw that Anubis facing to the side, staring out at the woods. Teal eyes watered faintly. He lowered his head. Flashes and images re-entered his mind. All of them random, yet they were so crystal clear, it haunted him.

_*"Well, well… Aren't you a pretty little thing?" he purred deeply. A wry smile curled over his mouth. The small maiden shook her head frantically, whimpering helplessly when he snatched her to him. "No, please!"_

_ "'No, please'!" he mocked. "… Scream for me…"*_

_ *Anubis rode up to the side of one of his captains. The screams young women and children pierced the heavy, smoked filled air. "… Did you find the monk as ordered?" he asked._

_ "… No, my lord, the villagers claim that he has not been seen for many days…"_

_ "And the Line?"_

_ "… Dead… Except for a young girl…" The warlord's eyes narrowed slightly as a smile fell onto his lips. "… Excellent…"Anubis pulled on the reins of his horse and turned. "Set fire to the arrows."_

_ "My lord?"_

_ "… Burn this pitiful little hamlet. I want to see and hear nothing but ash crumbling by dawn," he ordered._

_ "… Everything?" Anubis unsheathed his sword and cleaved the captain's head clear off of his shoulders. He wiped the blood clean from his blade and sheathed it. He turned to another soldier. "… Tsumura!" he called._

_ "Y-yes sir!"_

_ "You've just been promoted." He raised his arm. "Light!!" Upon lowering it, the sounds of arrows whistled through the air before being swallowed by the screams of agony. *_

Anubis swallowed hard and shut out the memories. "It… was just a question, Sekhmet. I meant no ill will or-"

"No. You _never_ mean to anything!" he interrupted angrily. He advanced upon him. "You don't have any idea of what you've done, and what I have be subjected to every day I have to set eyes on you! The second in command, the Ancient's apprentice, the hero that saved the last line of Ancients…" Anubis felt Sekhmet's hand grip his forearm. His claws sunk into it. A low hiss left the angry man's lips before he continued. "To me…you are… and always will be… that… _thing_ that raped girls, killed children, and destroyed whole towns. You are the monster that makes my blood _burn_ and run cold at the same time…" he finished in a low whisper. Sekhmet stepped even closer to him. Anubis felt the heat of his breath against his ear and shuddered. "And do you know what really _sickens_ me the most?" Sekhmet continued in a low tone. He pulled back and moved to the other side of the nearly trembling warrior. Sekhmet's fangs glistened in the sunlight. "I am fighting the _wrong_ demon. _Talpa_… didn't kill those children. _Talpa_ didn't destroy my home and people. _Talpa_ didn't kill my child… No. He sat back and barked out orders: "Capture the Serpent Emperor". Everything else… was just to… kill time… because _you_ wanted to." Sekhmet pulled away and turned his back to him. He stared down at Kaos' grave marker. "If he knew half of what you were… he would have let Hardrock kill you on the spot. Kaos is unselfish enough to forgive even the worst of sins… I envy him so much… Gods…"

"… What's stopping you then? If you hate me so much, then why don't you kill me and take your revenge?" Anubis asked. His voice was barely audible. Sekhmet turned. He glared.

"You would _love_ that, wouldn't you!?" He approached him again. "You want to know why?! Because killing you would only make me feel better for a little while. Killing you won't give me back what I've lost! Believe me, if it could, you'd be dead where you stand!" He stepped back and smirked darkly. "Maybe I should kill _Zeal_. Then we'd be at least even…" Anubis' head snapped upward.

"If you touch her-"

"You'll what?! Kill me?!" There was murder in the ancient warrior's eyes. Anubis felt his anger returning slowly from earlier that morning. Something in the older man suddenly changed. Sekhmet's eyes began to water faintly. Anubis stepped back slightly upon seeing this. "Gods! Don't mock me like that!" Sekhmet exclaimed through a choked cry. "Don't propose the one thing that could rid me of you and… and… Gods, I'd give anything not to have to see you again!!! I _wish _you had remained a corpse!" He snatched Anubis by the neck and shoved him against the tree. Anubis grimaced as his claws dug into his neck, holding it in a crushing grip. Tears coursed down Sekhmet's face as he pinned him to the tree. "Why the gods spare you and not them?!" he cried. "Damn you!! By the gods, help me!!!"

*****

Tori held herself up from the ground with one hand. "Boy this is hard…" she gritted out. "'Balance is the key to everything'." She tried to remember the rest of what Kaos had taught her, but found herself remembering the last talk she had with Dais.

_*Have you talked to him recently?" Tori shook her head.___

_ "… N-no. I-I can't."___

_ "Why?"___

_"He reminds me too much of 'Jiisan and Anubis. I can't help but feel angry at him." Dais laid a hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't Anubis' fault. If you're going to be angry, then you should hate all four of us. We all were there…" She didn't reply. Dais smiled softly. "He went down fighting, Rekka."*_

Tori promptly fell to the mat and groaned. "All right, all right! I'll do it!!" she yelled aloud. Dais happened to be passing by the miniature dojo when he heard her. He poked his head inside. "Rekka? Whom are you screaming at?" Tori dusted herself off and frowned. "No one, Dais. I'm going crazy… Have you seen Anubis?" she asked.

"Not since the meeting this morning. The last I saw… he was headed out the back. He may be at Kaos' grave meditating or paying his respects," he answered.

"Thanks…" She rubbed her shoulder as she passed him.

"Tori?" She stopped, but did not turn.

"You are a sweet girl," he smiled. Tori sighed.

"Yeah, yeah… Sugary sweet… Thanks, Dais…"

Tori shivered as she trudged through the snow towards the grave marker. It was then she realized that she hadn't even been to his grave since he died.

"Hey, Rekka?" she called and stopped on the path.

_"Yes, my lady?"_ he appeared behind her in his chosen human form. Crimson robes stood out brightly on the white snow. Her heart jumped when she noticed an immediate attraction to him. She blushed and cleared her throat. "Um…" He approached her. _"We have not talked, you and I in a good while."_

"I… I know… I was…"

_"Angry."_ He smiled gently as she nodded. _"It's quite all right. I know how you felt about the Ancient and what happened between you and Anubis. It was not his fault that Kaos died… It was fate. The gods' are finally coming to terms with the severity of my brother's rebellion."_

"… I felt a little better blaming someone though, but now I feel terrible. After seeing what it did to him, I… All I want…" She frowned. "I don't know! I don't want anyone else to die! I just want to go home!" she exclaimed. Rekka lowered his eyes.

_ "… This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. There will be a point in time when you are going to feel so alone that you cannot stand it… and that time will be very soon."_ Tori clenched her fists and let out a pained groan.

"What's gonna happen?"

_"I cannot say-"_

"Bullshit, Rekka! If you can tell me, then I can stop it from happening!"

_"You can never sever the chains of fate that bind you. Even I cannot do that… I am sorry."_ Tori wiped her eyes angrily.

"Yeah, me too!" She started down the path again. Rekka followed closely.

_"I can tell you that… in the end… you will not regret anything that has happened. You will be more at peace with yourself. Questions you've had will all be answered, and most of all, you-"_ he stopped and turned his head. Tori felt his instant concern.

"What is it?"

_"… Danger."_

"By the gods, help me!!!" Sekhmet's voice cried. In the same instant she caught a sharp breath, Rekka's holy armor replaced her clothing. She raced towards the outburst, not prepared for what she would see.

*****

Anubis clawed at Sekhmet's forearms as he felt the need for air. His senses were dulling, and before he knew it, he was on the ground. Angry eyes bore into his hatefully and sadly. Sekhmet's mouth moved through clenched teeth, yet no sounds seemed to come. Anubis' movements were becoming frantic as his vision began to darken.

"Sekhmet!!!" A frightened cry pierced through the darkening world as he blacked out.

Tori tackled Sekhmet out of instinct. She was barely able to knock him off of Anubis. A loud hiss met her ears as she scrambled to her feet. Sekhmet lay in the snow on his stomach glaring dangerously at her. Tori felt her skin crawl. "Sekhmet! It's me!! It's Tori!" Another hiss followed before his eyes flashed. His fangs began to lengthen. A long purple tongue flickered angrily at her. He lunged at her with the speed and accuracy of an angry cobra. "Sekkie!!" she cried as he pinned her. Venom dripped from his fangs slowly. Drops fell onto her breastplate and sizzled. She kicked him free of her and rolled away from him. As soon as she was on all fours, he lunged at her again. "Wake up!!" She shot a burst of flames at him, knocking him back and into a painful daze. He didn't get up. She stood on weary legs and slowly approached Sekhmet. He was breathing and not quite aware. "Ow…" However, before she could breathe a sigh of relief, she noticed that Anubis was not breathing. "Shit, Red!!"

Dark bruises were forming around his throat. Quickly she tipped his head back and blew air into him. "God, breathe!" She repeated it over and over. Sekhmet sat up with a groan and clutched his head. "… What… ow…" 

"Come on…" Tori pleaded. Sekhmet paled when he remembered what happened, more so when Tori became more and more frantic. "Breathe, damn you!!" she cried.

"R-Rekka-"

"Go get Sage or somebody!!" she lashed out angrily. Sekhmet scrambled to his feet. "God, I killed him!" he breathed.

"Shut up!!" Tori drew another breath and gave Anubis another. "Breathe! Please!!" She punched his chest angrily. "Dammit! You coward! Don't you dare leave me before I apologize!" She hit him again. "Wake up, goddamn you!!" She slammed her fist once more before collapsing into sobs. Anubis suddenly drew breath and began to cough heavily. Tori backed away, completely shocked. Sekhmet was the same. Anubis turned over on all fours and spat blood before finally catching his breath. "Oh… g-gods… Gods…" he gasped, tearing open the front of his jacket. He looked up at Tori then at Sekhmet. He stood slowly. Sekhmet's eyes were as wide as they have ever been. Tears of shame and confusion began to peek out of the corners of his eyes. Anubis approached him slowly, but Sekhmet turned and ran back to the house. _… I'm sorry, Sekhmet._ Anubis turned back to Tori, where a fist promptly greeted him in the eye.

"OW!! Dammit! What the hell?!"

"You _asshole_!" she yelled with tears in her eyes. "You scared the shit out of me!!" Anubis clutched his eye and glared.

"You didn't have to hit me!" His anger vanished when her tears fell from her eyes. "Here I was going to… and you-" She snarled loudly forgetting her words. Anubis approached her _very_ carefully. "I'm sorry… I…" He went to touch her arm when she slugged him in the shoulder weakly. "Jerk… You never think about others before you go a do something stupid! I thought you were dead!! You know that if you die, we're all screwed, don't you?! Jerk!!" He chuckled softly.

"Well, I'm not thanks to you…" He rubbed his chest. "That really hurt whatever you did…" Tori frowned and wiped her mouth.

"Yeah. Well the-the next time you feel like pissing Sekhmet off, eat some tic-tacs before you decide to stop breathing," she muttered. Anubis frowned.

"I brush my teeth after every meal, thank you!" Anubis saw her eyes well up with tears again. She fell to her knees and just burst into tears. "I-I didn't mean… 'Jiisan…" Anubis kneeled beside her in the snow. She looked up at him sadly as he hesitantly rubbed her back. He was shocked when she buried her face into his jacket and cried. "S-sorry…" she whimpered. Anubis carefully draped his arms around her.

"C'mon… Let's get you out of the snow. Mia will kill you if you get the whole house sick," he said gently. He lifted her to her feet and dried her cheeks with his scarf. She stayed silent and let him lead her back to the house by her hand.

*****

Talpa glanced around the throne room. Raiko was not present among his warlords. "Where is Raiko?" he asked.

"Recovering," Fou-Lu answered. Talpa paced among his warriors silently. He noticed Managi barely responded to his question and Fou-Lu's vague answer. "From what?"

"Aphrodisiac and stamina poisoning…" Managi answered. Talpa let out a chuckle. "Is that so? Maybe I should just cut the damn thing off, and then he wouldn't have to 'recover' from anything." Zeal chuckled to herself among some of the other samurai present. Managi cleared her throat.

"I would not worry about that, sire… I believe I recall him saying that he would never again 'abuse the privilege'," she murmured. "He was moved to tears, sire."

"Oh, really? Well, I don't need him for this mission anyway… Badamon has completed his 'project'. The mortal world will fall before the dawn of the next full moon. Zeal."

"Yes, sire." Talpa walked towards her kneeling form.

"… How did you trip to the mortal world go?"

"… Fruitless, highness," she said softly. "Forgive me…" Talpa knelt beside her and stroked her hair. He leaned close to her ear. "… He does not care about you like I do. It's that girl… Go. You have your orders. I want that ancient dead before we attack," he finished louder as he stood. "Permission to kill as seen fit…"

"Granted." She disappeared in a wisp of blue flames.

"Sire… What are our orders?" Fou-Lu asked.

"Spy and distract them from her… You may not have to though. It's going to take more than the White Armor of Inferno to take him down. Those are your orders." Fou-Lu sank into the floor without another word.

*****

Zeal slammed her chamber door shut. "Disgusting old-"

"Ah, ah, ah, my dear. The walls hath ears," Fou-Lu warned as he appeared out of the shadows. "Ye wouldn't want to utter things that would see thou hanged, hm?" Zeal snarled and flopped onto her bed. "How did he find out that I left?!" she hissed.

"The Master told him," he said and sat beside her. "Do not fret. Only a few more days and we'll be rid of this… _chain_." Zeal turned over onto her back and sighed. "Something amiss, my lady?" Zeal sat up and pointed to the viewing flame in the center of her room. The flame changed from blue to white.

_Anubis presented Tori with a warmed drink. She stared into it silently after taking it. A light blush stained her cheeks when he sat rather close to her. He appeared to say something, though no sound came from the fire. _

"I see…" Fou-Lu turned back to her. Zeal sat up slowly.

"… He still cares for me," she murmured. "That mortal… _human_ is more important to him it seems." She banished the flame with a cold wind. "I don't know what to do."

"… Make her suffer," he said. Zeal looked up at him and saw the dark smile on his face. She stood slowly, a seductive smile curling on her lips. "… You always have a way of cheering me up, my lord." Fou-Lu kissed her lips softly with a chuckle.

"Of course…"

"I have… some time to kill before I go…" she purred. Fou-Lu tore his lips away from her. "No. Ye have your orders. Go," he ordered. Zeal sighed. "Later, perhaps. I tend to get… _hungry_ after a good kill," she smiled. Fou-Lu raised an eyebrow.

***********************************************************************

_ Whoa… Long time since I updated. Sorry about that guys. Lotsa stuff's been going on, and then Christmas happened… Plus I was kinda stuck for a while. Things should pick right up after this. Updates hopefully won't occur in 3-month intervals. Hope everybody had a nice holiday! Happy New Year!_


	24. Spectres in the Fog

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"  
By Onikage  
  
Scroll Twenty-Four: Spectres in the Fog  
  
Light violet eyes pierced through the snow-covered bushes at the top of the hill at the band of Talpa's soldiers gathered at one of his elaborate gates. Sage inched closer and parted the branches with skillful silence to get a better look. An armored hand fastened down on his shoulder and yanked him backwards sharply. "Wah!-" Cale's hand clamped over Sage's mouth. "Sh! Do you want them to hear you!?" he hissed. Sage frowned and shoved Cale away. "Maybe if you hadn't 'startled' me-"  
"Quit bitching, you two, or they 'will' hear us!" Ryo hissed. "Geez..." He turned back to the soldiers below them and remained crouched behind the same bush where Sage had been. "Dammit. I can't hear anything..."he muttered. Domo sat on a rock beside Cale and watched him glare at Sage. She growled. "This is retarded. I'm going down there and spy," she whispered.  
"What? No! You'll be caught!" Cale warned. Rolled her eyes and stood.  
"With your hair color I would." She slipped down and around the hill with Korin right behind her. Cale's cheeks colored deeply upon hearing Halo and Wildfire's soft chuckles. At least I don't have a mullet.   
  
Domo kneeled upon the large branch of a tree right above the soldiers' camp. Korin had taken refuge behind another bush right below her. The hushed voices were now much clearer.  
"Did you hear what happened to Lord Raiko?"  
"Yeah, he was punished by Lord Fou-Lu and Lady Managi."  
"No... He escaped from the dungeon."  
"What? How?! I thought Lady Managi laid it to him after Talpa found out what he did to her! He was a bloody mess when she left the dungeon!"  
"I know. He escaped somehow during the night. Lady Managi took pity on him, I suppose."  
"And Talpa 'let' her? The Master has... changed, hasn't he?"  
"... Shh, we'll both be jailed if someone hears you!" The first soldier paused, and then spoke more softly. "I think it's this Kurai character... That's all I hear from some of the priests... 'Kurai is all powerful', 'Kurai will free Hell'... blah, blah, blah... You know no one has even seen him before. Not even Master Talpa..."  
"Really?"  
"I was guarding his chamber a few nights ago. I heard him talking to this strange voice. I couldn't understand it... All I could hear was something about this demon that Badamon is creating."  
"'Another' one?"  
"Yeah... I hear that even Hariel's armor can't defeat it." The second soldier shoved the first roughly. "Bull! I've heard 'that' one before!"  
"I'm serious!"  
"You're full of it..." The soldiers proceeded to argue without discussing anything new. Domo frowned.  
More demons? Jesus... "Waah!!!" Domo slipped and tumbled out of the tree. She landed on one of the soldiers and rolled off into the snow. "Owie..." she groaned and sat up, rubbing her backside. She looked up and a very sharp spear grazed her nose. "... Oops..." She held up her hands defensively and stood slowly. "Heh, heh... Hey, boys..."  
"Grab her!" One of the soldiers bound her arms roughly.  
"Ow! Hey! Watch it! I just did my nails this morning!" she snapped.  
"Quiet!" a higher-ranking soldier ordered and removed his sword. He held it to her neck. "Talpa will be pleased that we brought back you! Any last words?"  
"Um... yeah... HEY! YOU LADIES GONNA SAVE ME OR WHAT?!" she yelled.  
A few birds started from the trees. The soldiers burst into loud laughter. Domo swallowed hard and inched away from the sword. "Uh... I-I don't suppose you can just let me go, could you?" she mumbled.  
"Not a chance in hell," he chuckled. Domo could hear the smile in his voice and swallowed again. Think, you idiot! ... uh... Domo's lips curved into a dark smile and she stood a little straighter. "You know... I bet it gets pretty... 'lonely' in that 'big' castle, doesn't it?" she asked in a silken tone. She dragged the tip of her armored foot along the inside of his armored leg slowly. She saw the blade lower slightly, and her smile widened. "... All these huge, strong 'men' around... for even 'months' at a time," she continued and pressed herself closer to him, "I bet it's so 'hard' for you to resist those... urges when a young, energetic 'woman' just- " she managed back him into a small rock. He sat abruptly and she straddled his waist, pressing herself even closer. "-'falls' into your lap during an important mission." She managed to slip out of the rope that bound her, but kept her arms behind her. "You know... I won't tell if you accidentally... forgot to 'tie me up'..." Domo slid her hands along the inside of his leg that wasn't armored slowly. She leaned down to his ear. "Care to show me the might of a 'real' warrior?" she breathed. She felt a strong arm loop around her and held her against him in a tight grip. "... If you insist," he purred. He turned his head to another soldier. "No one disturbs us... I won't be long," he said. The soldier didn't respond. He seemed to sway on his feet as if he had too much to drink. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"  
The soldier collapsed into the snow, revealing a very angry Sage, sword drawn. The leader turned back to Domo. She thrust a small knife into his abdomen. "Was it good for you too?" she grinned before he turned to smoke. Domo coughed as the armor collapsed. "'Bout- about time you showed up! I thought I was gonna have to screw that hunk of tin!" she frowned. Ryo dug his sword into another soldier's back.  
"Hey, you're the one who said she wasn't going to get caught," he argued.  
"I'll get you!!"  
Domo frowned and kicked an empty helmet into a soldier's stomach knocking him back into another. "You still could have gotten here a little faster!" she snapped.  
"Die Ronin!!"  
"What did you find out?" Cale asked and jammed his claw into another soldier's chest. Domo ducked under a punch and swept a soldier off his feet.  
"Whoa!"  
"Oh, nothing much... Talpa's been acting weirder than normal... and...Oof!" An armored fist landed in her gut. Sage cleaved the head from the attacking soldier's neck. "Are you all right?" he asked. Domo coughed and stood carefully. Sage tackled her to the ground as a blast of dark light zapped towards her. The blast tore across his back. "What the hell, Sage?!" she snapped. He groaned and lifted himself off of her slowly. His armored back smoked from the impact of the heated blast.  
"Don't be careless," he hissed. He caught the reflection of light in her eyes and shoved her away. In the next instant, he had turned and blocked another blast aimed at her with his arms. It knocked him to his back. Domo crawled to his side quickly.  
"Halo!" Cale called, taking out the last of the soldiers. Wildfire was all ready at the blonde Ronin's side beside Domo. He looked up at the origin of the blast and saw a very angry Raiko standing in the ruin of armor. Ryo said nothing; he only removed his swords once more. Sage leaned against Domo as she pulled him to his feet. Domo saw who Ryo was being so cautious at and swallowed hard. "Oh no..." she managed to breath.  
Raiko now hovered above the shells of samurai. His face was still, yet his tail thrashed about wildly. His eyes flashed when he laid his eyes on Domo. He extended a shaky claw and pointed straight at her, his eyes darkening. Sage blocked Raiko's path with his body as he stepped in front of her as the warlord grounded himself and began to move towards her. "'You', whore, will pay," Raiko warned.  
"What the fuck did I do?!" she snapped. Sage lifted his sword defensively and lowered slightly. "Domo?" he began.  
"Huh?"  
"... Shut up," he ordered softly in a voice that left no room for argument. He locked eyes with the feral man. Raiko halted in his tracks and cracked a dark smirk. "Pretty, pretty..."  
"Black Lightning Slash!"  
Raiko easily dodged the attack without removing his eyes from Sage. He flung his other arm to the side and sent Cale into the side of the hill. "Cale!!!" Domo screamed. Sage gripped his sword. "Don't move!!" he ordered.  
"But-"  
"Trust me... He's fine..." Sage said. He eyed the shaking arm that was still extended at them. This warlord was not in his right mind.  
"The Raven... watching, watching..." Raiko chuckled. "Wanting... Light..."  
Ryo lifted his twin katana over his head in preparation for his attack. Raiko snapped his head toward him. "Naughty, naughty..." he laughed. Ryo froze.  
How could he have seen me!? Raiko's eyes went from laughter to darkness and shot a beam of dark energy towards him. Ryo was knocked back into another tree, armor sizzling as the energy burned away at the mystical metal. Any movement he made, an electrical current surged through him. The barer of Wildfire was not going to be getting up. Raiko chuckled darkly as he watched Wildfire scream and writhe in agony as more electricity shot through his body. He turned to Cale, and then to Sage, sending volts of electricity through them from the point of contact his magic made. "Stop it!" Domo ordered futilely.  
"Domo! No!" Sage gritted out as she charged the warlord. Raiko's chuckles turned to hideous laughter as he turned and halted Domo in her charge. He stepped toward her and snatched her by the throat. His laughter had stopped and he squeezed her throat. "... Stupid little whore... Did you really think you could torture me and get away with it?!" he snarled and sank his claws deep into her throat. Domo gagged and coughed as he constricted her throat, blood oozing out of her emerald lips. "K-Korin!" she heaved and struggled frantically to get air. With his other hand, he slashed open her torso and chest before throwing her into the ground. He pinned her and sank his long fangs into her neck, depositing his venom into her blood. She snagged his long hair sharply, trying to rip him from her. Her cries and struggling became weaker and weaker as the paralyzing venom took effect. She suddenly calmed, falling into unconscious. Raiko wiped his mouth roughly and grinned. "... Now you are mine..."  
  
Anubis returned from upstairs with one of his robes from his trunk that he had brought with him from home. Tori waited patiently by the fire. Her eyes did not look up from the dancing flames as she sat in front of it. She dried her eyes roughly yet futilely as more tears came. She felt like a total bitch after the way she had been acting lately. Anubis kneeled beside her. "Here... Take off your clothes and put this on or you'll catch cold." Tori blushed heavily. Did he actually expect her to strip down in front of him? She glanced at him shyly and took the soft robe. Surprisingly, it was quite light. She touched the deep indigo cloth generously. The hand- stitched crane in light blue glistened in the firelight. "... It may be a little to big for you," he chuckled and stood. "I'll be in the kitchen. I'll be back." Tori waited until he was gone before peeling off the soaked clothing. Going down to her undergarments, she slipped the robe on and tied the silken sash tightly. Her arms were completely hidden and the fabric pooled around her ankles. How big is this?! she thought. She hung her clothes on the mantle just as Anubis returned from the kitchen. She turned and nearly tripped. He smiled gently. He had in his hand a mug of something hot; in the other was an ice pack. He chuckled when she had to lift the cloth to walk to the couch. She fiddled with the sash. "... It's too big," she said softly.  
"Considering," he chuckled. He set the mug down on the table and began to adjust the robe.  
"W-what are you doing?" she demanded.  
"... You have this on incorrectly," he murmured, opening the robe slightly. Tori's cheeks heated furiously as he had a full frontal view of the chicken print underwear. Not a word. No sarcastic comment. Nothing. He pulled one layer around her snugly and tied it to the inside with the inner sash. Pulling the robe closed, he fastened it shut with a hidden clasp. Finally, he tied the sash snugly. He circled around her pulling on the fabric slightly to reveal the design on the back. "There. Is that better?" he asked. Tori nodded silently and quickly. "Here... Tenku made this for you. She and Kayura are talking in the kitchen. She took it and sat down. "T- thanks," she murmured. She blushed again when he sat rather close to her. She drank it slowly. Anubis noted the embarrassed blush on her cheeks. She's still angry with me... This may be a lot more difficult to fix than I thought... Anubis grabbed the ice pack and leaned back, tipping his head, and placing it on his eye. He groaned softly. "... S-sorry," she whispered.  
"What?"  
"For hitting you... I... I'm sorry..."  
"That's some right hook you have," he chuckled. "... You can get really nasty when you want to. Talpa should look out."  
"I didn't mean to over react..."  
"Forgive me if I scared you. That was not my intention, truly," he mumbled. Tori took another sip.  
"How's your neck?"  
"Swollen, purple like my damn eye..." He tossed the pack onto the table with a sigh. He thought about what had happened. He almost wished that Sekhmet had finished the job. Maybe then the ancient emperor could have some peace. There was no telling where he where he was now.  
"... Anubis?"  
"... Huh?" He blinked and turned to her. She sipped her mug slowly.  
"Wh... what happened back there?" she asked. "He almost killed you!" Anubis lowered his eyes.  
"You know the story... I attacked his empire a long time ago, under Talpa."  
"... Yeah, but... You were just following orders. You couldn't control yourself."  
"... It's not that... it's Managi... She was his wife and now she's a henchman of Talpa's..." Tori continued to look at him intently. "Talpa saw Sekhmet as a threat and ordered me to either kill or capture him. That was the order... I instead decided to have a little... fun... I destroyed his home. Dais or Cale were not warlords yet..." Anubis turned away and sat back, draping his arms over the back of the couch. He stared at the fire. "... That night... there was so much carnage... Wall after wall of flames... Everyone... People were slaughtered: soldiers... men, women, children... The castle fell so easily..." Anubis' head ached as the sounds of war and terror filled his head again. They were as clear to him as the night it happened...  
  
"Mama!! Papa!!" "Oh, GODS!!" "RUN!"  
"Please! Stoop!!"  
  
Anubis cast his eyes to the ceiling. "Two figures leapt from the tower: Managi and Sekhmet charging at my army to try and salvage what was left... Alone they wiped out the front line... I... ambushed Managi." His eyes closed. "And all I could think about as she struggled in my grasp was," he stopped. "Sekhmet transformed to save her. He nearly killed me... Managi escaped into the castle's inner sanctum when it... collapsed. Sekhmet... fell into a catatonic state, so it was an easy capture... As far as we knew, she had died." Anubis opened his eyes and sighed. "Today... I found out that... she was pregnant with his heir..." Tori swallowed hard. "... I destroyed his home, killed his wife and unborn child, and helped make him what he was..." Anubis shook his head. "I still have nightmares of that horrible night. I have nightmares often about the things that I've done, but... this was the one that I was most ashamed," he finished in a whisper.  
"... But... you were under Talpa's influence... You wouldn't have done that- "  
"It doesn't matter."  
"Yes it does!" she snapped. Anubis' eyes widened at her outburst. "You were being controlled, just like Sekhmet was. He can't blame you for everything that happened. Even with all the bad things he did, doesn't make it right. It doesn't make him a better person than you. How many people's wives did he kill? Or their families? True, he does have a right to be angry, but not at you. The real evil here is Talpa! He made you both do evil things and think evil thoughts!" She looked back down into her mug after her retort. She blushed.  
"... That's twice today you've defended me," he said softly. He looked away and blushed. "Thank you..." Tori put her mug on the table.  
"... Um... I... don't blame you for 'Jiisan's death, either. You didn't kill him. It... It just seemed easier to blame someone I could hurt than Talpa. I couldn't hurt him if I tried... It's all his fault... He's managed to turn friends into enemies..." Tori wiped her eyes roughly as they watered. "... I miss 'Jiisan..."  
"I do too..." He hesitantly slipped his arm around her shoulders. She didn't resist. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise," he added softly. Tori's face heated as the tears ran running rivers down her cheeks. She hid her face in his shoulder. He held her head to it and cradled it gently against him. Her back hitched as she cried. "... M'sorry," he whispered softly. She clawed at his shirt. He buried his face into her hair and folded his arms around her. Minutes passed before she quieted. She slipped an arm timidly around his chest, indicating that she did not want him to go just yet. He flushed heavily. Should anyone seem them like this, they both wouldn't hear the end of it. Still he remained where he was and closed his eyes. After a few more minutes, he felt fatigue's hand pass over him. Tori's breath had all ready evened out into a light slumber and soon he, too, fell into a well-deserved nap.  
  
Dais lifted Kiku high into the air. "Airplane, airplane, airplane!" she laughed. Dais zipped down the veranda while lifting her up and down and spinning in circles. "Crash landing!!"  
"Ohh, nooo!" she squealed. Dais fell to the wooden floor with Kiku pulled tight into his chest. He grimaced when he hit the floor a little too hard. "Do it again! Do it again!"  
"Ow. No, Kiku. Dais hurt himself," he hissed. Kiku climbed off his chest.  
"Where?"  
"My elbow." Kiku bent down and kissed his elbow. To his surprise, it stopped hurting.  
"All better!" dais sat up quickly, astounded.  
How the hell?  
"Does it still hurt?"  
"N-no!" he whispered. "Thank you, Kiku." He touched her ivory locks that matched his own and stood. He picked her up when she yawned. "Okay, little one. Nap time!"  
"What?! Noooo! No nap! No nap!" she protested and started to squirm. Dais felt a sharp pain in his side and promptly dropped the child. She fled into the house.  
"Ow! Kiku! Naughty girl! Get back here!" He started after her and froze in his tracks when he saw her looking at Anubis and Tori as they slept on the couch.  
Dais blinked.  
This was odd. Very odd.  
Tori cuddled tightly against the larger man's frame very contentedly, now laying side by side length-wise. Dais also noticed the robe she adorned. Anubis favorite. Anubis was sporting the first signs of a nasty black eye. He, too, was comfortably sleeping with his nose buried into her hair. This wasn't just odd.  
This was fucking weird.  
Kiku circled around to the other side and peered at them some more. Dais kneeled beside her. "... Shh, Kiku. They're sleeping," he whispered. Kiku pouted,  
"'Cause it's naptime?"  
"Yes, come on now. I'll read to you."  
"I wanna sleep in Cale-kun's room!"  
"Sh!"  
Tori stirred and opened her eyes. She saw Dais and her baby sister watching them. She blushed softly when Dais smiled. He would have winked if he could have. He just lifted Kiku. "Come on, little one. Let's leave them be."  
"But 'Ri-san doesn't like Anubi-chan!"  
"Shh... Maybe they've made up, little one..."  
Anubis shifted slightly and pulled her closer in his sleep. Tori's eyes widened and she blushed again, but the sound of his breathing made her feel calm again. She buried her face into his chest and clutched his shirt, falling to sleep once more.  
  
A threatening rattle broke through the silence of the clearing. Raiko's head snapped upward and he scanned the clearing. No one but the unconscious Ronins were there. Raiko snarled. Something was here. Something dark. He stood wearily. "Come out..." he ordered.  
Silence. Raiko snarled with frustration and kneeled back down to Domo. The rattle came again followed by a hiss. Raiko's eyes fell to the brush in front of him. A pair of dark glowing teal eyes glared out at him through the frost covered leaves. "... You..." The rattle came again as the form slipped out from the brush. Scales of dark grey glistened in the sunlight as the creature stood upright. The tip of its tail twitched dangerously, rattling softly yet still with the hint of a warning. It crouched on clawed feet, its scaled sides gleaming. The glowing teal eyes glared darkly at him. The pale human-like face bared its fangs, features framed with forest green tufts of hair.  
Raiko leapt away from Domo's body and stared at the familiar form in awe. The creature crept towards him slowly. Raiko then smiled widely, recognizing the beast before him. "... Your highness!" he laughed and bowed graciously. "It has been a long time, hasn't it, o Serpent Emperor, Naotoki..."  
Sekhmet hissed loudly and lunged at him, swiping at his body with a claw. Raiko leapt away and laughed. A ribbon of teal flame past through Sekhmet's lips before he opened his mouth wide and shot a pillar of flames from his throat. Raiko attempted to deflect it with his sabre, but was engulfed with the searing flames. They dissipated after only a few seconds. Raiko snarled and stuck his sabre into the ground. "... Is that the best you have?" he chuckled. "Let me show you the sounds of the realm of chaos! Eternal Dischord!" Raiko drew in a deep breath and opened his mouth wide, releasing a world shattering scream. Sekhmet screeched in pain. The deafening sound stabbed at his skull, burning holes into his brain. He fell to his knees, clawing at his head helplessly, screaming, and shrieking until it stopped. Blood dripped from his pointed ears and onto the snow covered ground, melting it instantly. An armored foot dug into his side. Sekhmet groaned in pain. Raiko clicked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk, tsk..." he sneered. "No wonder you couldn't protect your kingdom and that whore bride of yours..." Sekhmet's eyes flashed wildly. "... Yes, whore," Raiko continued and kicked him again. "Such soft and smooth skin... She begged for it. Screamed my name as a tore into her soft, wet flesh, and she loved it..."  
Sekhmet caught Raiko's foot, sinking his claws into it. Sekhmet wrapped his tail around his neck and squeezed. Raiko clawed at it madly, ripping away grey scales. Blood oozed out from his lips, just before Sekhmet crushed his throat with a sickening crack. Raiko fell limp. Blood tricked out of his ears and nose as Sekhmet tossed him to the ground. The electrical current prison vanished from the Ronins.  
A deep laugh filled the air around them. "Well done, serpent," a voice whispered that was clearly male. Sekhmet whipped around to find no one there. The voice came again. "... Your precious one is unharmed," he continued.  
"Uhn... Ow," Ryo groaned and sat up. He coughed loudly as he tore off his helmet. "J-jesus..." He glanced over at Cale who was pulling bark and dirt out of his hair. His helmet laid several feet away, having lost it when he was thrown. The large gash on his temple indicated that. "You okay, blue?" Ryo asked and pulled him to his feet.  
"... I'll live... Halo?" They glanced over at Sage. He had Domo pulled against him defensively as he stared in awe at Sekhmet's altered form. The serpent had not regarded him as a threat yet. He was too busy searching for the source of the voice that the others had not heard. Sage stood carefully with Domo in his arms. Korin appeared at his feet, standing on hind legs and leaning on his arm to examine her mistress. Sage frowned. "Where the hell have you been?! We could have been killed!"  
"I am powerless in this state. When her soul calls for my assistance, only then can I help her..."  
"What the hell kind of an answer is that?!" Sage snapped softly. The ancient emerald eyes narrowed.  
"Don't be a fool, boy. Or do I recall that you only could achieve power when your soul called for it to the armor? You are still far from what you can truly become, Halo." Sage fell silent.  
"Halo, look out!!!" Cale shouted just as Sekhmet lunged at the two. Sage rolled out of the way with Domo still in his arms. The beast started to circle the group wearily. Korin stepped in front of Sage and approached Sekhmet. He eyed her with eyes of malice before swiping at her too. The claw passed right through her snow-colored body, making the beast jump in shock. "You fool. Do you not know friend from foe? Wake up!"   
A warm green light shot from the gold and emerald headdress she wore and hit Sekhmet square in the chest. He clutched at his heart and hissed madly, falling to the snow in convulsions. Slowly, long fangs retracted, claws shortened, scales of armor reduced to mere patches on the skin, and the monstrous tail quickly disappeared. Only tattered remains of blue jeans and nearly waist length hair remained on the shivering body. Cale quickly unfastened his crimson cape and draped it over Sekhmet's bare back as the man stood on weary legs. Sekhmet clutched his forehead and winced. "Wh-what the hell happened?" he whispered.  
"You kicked Raiko's ass, man!" Ryo congratulated. He pointed to the limp beast a few feet away. "Sweet..." Sekhmet's eyes widened.  
"I... don't remember anything after..." He stopped and pulled the soft cloth around him more. "I... changed, didn't I?" Sage nodded. Sekhmet lowered his eyes. "I didn't hurt anyone, did I?"  
"No, we're cool," Ryo said. Korin approached Sekhmet and frowned.  
"Whatever grudge you have, I suggest you lose it. We have no time for you and the young one's fighting!" she snarled. "Save your hatred for the ones who are truly evil..." Sekhmet said nothing in response.  
  
"Excellent. I could stand to use all the hate you all can spare," a deep voice announced.  
  
A loud screech pierced the air as a black flash dived down on them. Talons scraping and beak snapping angrily at each of them until finally Cale slashed it with his no-dachi and it split only to reform and fly gracefully on to the shoulder of a tall, dark figure in the shadows. "What trickery is this?!" Cale hissed and stepped forward towards the intruder. He raised his sword defensively. A deep, full chuckle began to echo around them as he emerged. Clothed in the darkest jet, it flowed over and around the heavy frame, falling in long tresses and pooling at his feet as if made of water. A pale, yet strong hand with nails as sharp claws lifted upwards and pulled back the dark hood revealing even darker hair of an incredible length that floated gently in the cold wind, which now blew. Skin that rivaled the white snow framed a face etched with ancient markings that history itself had made no record. Dark purple eyes flecked with gold conveyed agelessness and death and frightful power. Mysterious violet lips slid into a smile as he reached up with his free hand to stroke and pet the now docile raven perched upon his left shoulder. In his right, he held a long black staff that towered over him, poised at the top, a black crystal.  
Cale's weapon lowered slowly. He stepped back slightly, the familiar yet empty comfort the darkness gave him was now calling to him. Korin stepped in front of the former warlord, emitting a bright flash of white before a maiden, no taller than Halo, replaced the wolf. Snow-white hair hung straight and smooth to her waist, sleek black armor molded over her delicate yet agile form, exposing only perfect skin at her waist and breast bone. Shimmering gold and emerald cloth hung from a belt in front and behind her, revealing ebony armored encased legs. In one hand, a fine bladed sword, etched with ancient writing, the hilt holding an emerald similar to the mysterious man's black crystal. Her elaborate headdress chimed softly in the breeze. The man chuckled again.  
"It is good to see you again, little sister," he smiled. Korin's emerald eyes narrowed.  
"I cannot say the same for you, Kurai... By choice, I would have no brother such as you," she stabbed. He approached her slowly.  
"Such hostile behavior... I have only come to speak civilly to your... humans..." Korin thrust her sword up, holding him at bay.  
"Stop." Kurai chuckled.  
"You really think that you can stop me?" He appeared behind Ryo and laughed, then Cale, and finally Sage. Halo leapt away only to have Domo ripped from his arms by an unseen force. She hovered in the air and floated towards Kurai. He took her gently in his arms. He smiled. "So light. So soft..."  
"Let her-" Sage began in a shout. Kurai held up his hand and curled his claws slightly. Sage's hands flew to his throat, desperate for air. He stared back down at her and traced her face with his other hand as she floated. Ryo attempted to charge them, but met with a similar fate: he, too, clutched his throat. Kurai's eyes flashed at Cale.  
"A wise choice, dark one..." he smirked. He released Ryo and Sage. Domo floated back to Sage as he stood wearily, coughing.  
"... Wise choices or foolish ones... your ancient will die... slowly, painfully..." His eyes glowed a dark indigo before sinking into the snow through an invisible portal.  
"Wh-was that-" Ryo began in awe. Korin nodded silently and turned to Cale.  
"He's gone now... You can relax now." Cale said nothing. "It was hard, wasn't it?" A simple nod was her answer.  
"... Let us make for home," Sekhmet spoke up.  
  
"Is she gonna be okay, Sage?" Nasake asked worriedly. A simple sigh was her answer as he gently placed the summoner of light on her bed. He had managed to heal her of her wounds; however, she was still very weak from the exposure to Raiko's venom. "... I think for now she just needs sleep. She's lucky. Korin has managed to protect her from the venom turning her into a dark spirit." Nasake looked over her shoulder at the tall platinum woman standing at the window of their bedroom. Almost immediately, Korin turned her head and flashed a glare at Nasake. The ancient eyes were almost cold, something very different than she expected from the creator of light. "I am not as... soft as Suiko or Rekka... I do not have time for such nonsense," Korin frowned. She sighed when Halo flashed her another glare of disapproval. "Where is Rekka's summoner?"  
"Downstairs with-" Korin disappeared in a flash of light. "She's so cold," Nasake finished with a frown.  
"She doesn't like to be bothered with emotions," Sage murmured. Nasake noticed the hint of sadness and frustration in his voice. "How is Kayura?" She shrugged.  
"How would you feel if there was a prophecy saying that you're gonna die?" Sage looked back down at Domo as she slept saying nothing.  
  
"Kayura?" Ryo called from outside her door. He knocked softly before he entered. Kayura glanced into the mirror at him as she brushed her hair. It always seemed to calm her down. She didn't smile; she just looked away. "... What is it, Wildfire?" she asked. He looked around. Why did she have the lights off?  
"I, uh... A-are you feeling any better?" he asked as he shut the door behind him. He sat on Tori's bed across from hers. Kayura sighed and set her brushed aside. "... I suppose so..." She glanced back at him in the mirror and noticed the large gash on his cheek that she hadn't seen in the shadows of the room. "What happened to you?!" she gasped. She reached for his face. Ryo winced and held her back with a smirk.  
"Ow! Hey take it easy! It's just a scratch. We had a run in with Raiko. The guy had flipped his lid. Started babbling about lights and ravens... Sekhmet managed to kill him."  
"Sekhmet killed Raiko?! HOW?!" she demanded and switched on the light to clean his cheek. Ryo scratched his head.  
"Uh, he turned into this... were-snake thing... Crushed his skull. He tried to attack Sage, but Korin changed him back somehow. She's with Domo and Sage right now... I'm tellin' ya, that babe has got a major anger management problem, then this guy showed up, " he added. He watched her duck into her closet and pull out a wooden box.  
"Is Sekhmet all right?" she asked and removed a glass flask with a stopper. The liquid inside was a dark purple.  
"Yeah. He won't say anything about his transformation. I don't think he can control it and he's afraid to tell us."  
"He's mad at Anubis," Kayura answered. "The man hates him for what he's become. Every now and then they hash it out. Both usually end up with a few bruises before someone pulls them apart."  
"This happens a lot then?"  
"It's not as much as before... I think Sekhmet's learning to face reality... Now hold still, Wildfire." Kayura dabbed pressed a cloth to his cheek after soaking it with the purple fluid.  
"Ow! Dammit! What the hell are you doing?!" Ryo hissed and pulled away. Kayura frowned and pinned him on to the bed.  
"Wildfire, don't be such a baby! If Raiko gave you an injury-"  
"Ow! That stuff stings!"  
"You don't wanna turn into Badamon, do you?" she sighed. Ryo stiffened and swallowed hard. That creepy voice, those bony hands, the lack of the lower abdominal area... Ryo shook his head quickly. Kayura smiled. "Okay then... Just hold still for a few minutes and it will stop." Ryo hissed as his cheek stung.  
"My face feels like a million bees stinging the hell out of it," he frowned.  
"Don't make sit on you and hold you down," she threatened. "You said someone else showed up. Who?"  
"Korin's brother... Kurai. He moves like nothing I've ever seen! It was like watching a shadow. One second he was behind you, the next he was chocking me and Sage by the throat! Cale wouldn't even move!" Kayura pulled the cloth away from his cheek.  
"... I see... If he can affect Cale in such a way, there's no chance for me or any of us," she said softly.  
"Hey! Wait a minute! You can't think like that! Listen. If Kurai's so great then how come he hasn't offed you all ready? Huh? Because he can't! You're gonna be fine, Kayura! You have my word on that!" Ryo exclaimed. Kayura blushed heavily.  
"... You have my thanks, Wildfire," she murmured. "I do not know how I can repay your kindness-"  
"Well, for starters you can stop calling me by my armor," he murmured with a faint blush. "I think we're past that formality stage after we can all lay around the house in our underwear, don't you?"  
"I do NOT traipse around in underwear, Ryo!" she snapped playfully.  
"Okay, so do all of your clothes have see through fabric and little tassels on the-"  
"Say it, Wildfire and you have a new reason to wear your armor to bed," she teased playfully and smacked him just above the waist.  
"Whoa, hey! After that empty threat, I'll just have to not wear anything at all then," Ryo purred and nudged her neck. Kayura squeaked when Ryo pinned her gently.  
"Ee! Wildfire! Get off of me now!"  
"Aw, come on... Who are you fooling? We both know that you could throw me easily," he smiled. Kayura blushed and looked away. The boy was right. She felt her heart pounding heavily in her chest. "Hey, Kay?"  
"What?" She blushed again when she felt Ryo brush her bangs out of her eyes.  
"... I won't let anything happen to you, okay? I promise..." he said softly. He lowered himself against her chest and leaned his ear on it. He felt her heart pounding then her arms hug him tightly.  
  
"Hey work detail!! Kento and Megami are back from-WAH!!" Yuli exclaimed. "Whoops..." Ryo sat straight up.  
"RAH! Thanks a lot. Yuli!!" Ryo snapped and lunged for the boy. Kayura sat up and swallowed hard a little thankful for the interruption.  
"... You better not lie to me, Ryo, so help me..."  
  
Cale rubbed the soreness in his back as he opened the door to his room. He stopped when he saw Kiku sleeping soundly in his bed. The creaking of the door woke her up. She yawned sweetly and sat up. "Hm? Cale-kun!!!" she cheered and hugged his torso as she stood up on his bed. "Where did you go? I wanted you to read to me," she said. Cale sat next to her and smiled.  
"I was protecting you from the monsters... Megami and Kento are back from the store. Why don't we go help them?"  
"Kay!" He picked her up and lifted her onto his shoulders. Her laughter and smiles brought back memories of happier times well before Talpa.  
Dark eyes burned into his memory. Eyes that would soon forever haunt him within the next few days...  
  
Been watching reruns of my Ronin DVDs! Trying to get more material and ideas and such... Oi... Those voices! Someone loan me a shot gun so I can shoot Yuli's voice actor... Dais too. And Sai... Oh, boy... maybe I'll just watch them on mute or on the Japanese side... Next chapter up soon! Oh, yeah, I know that Anubis wasn't the first warlord. Well in this fic he is so there! Ja na! 


	25. Coming to an Understanding

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"  
By Onikage  
  
Scroll Twenty-Five: Coming to An Understanding  
  
Kento slid down the banister after Sai rang the gong for dinner. He wasn't about to be beaten to his favorite thing of all: shabu-shabu al la Torrent. At least that's what Sai liked to call it. He was very sensitive about naming his own recipes. Everything was named after him so that there would be no question as to who created such lovely and mouthwatering cuisines. Now that Kento thought about it, Sai was a little arrogant when it came to food. But he was good and knew it. "Lemme at it-huh?" Megami was all ready happily tasting Sai's ultimate dish. Kento's mouth dropped open. "H-heeey!" he sputtered. "That is SO not cool! That's my job, Megami!" he protested. Megami looked sheepish.  
"Huh? Oh, sorry Kento-kun... Sai just wanted me to taste it to see if it needed anymore pepper. I don't think it does, but..." She went to feed Kento a saucer full of the warm shabu-shabu-y goodness. He frowned and turned away. "Aw, c'mon Kento-kun! Don't be a baby!" she pouted. "Pleeease?" Kento sighed and gave in to the dark, sad eyes of the smaller woman. She grinned happily as he tasted it. "... Yep, pepper."  
Sai re-entered the kitchen to fetch the rest of the large dinner. "Well, Megami?"  
"Kento-kun thinks it needs it," she replied.  
"Well, Kento does have the palette of my culinary genius," Sai grinned. Kento rolled his eyes.  
"I'm gonna go get the others," Megami said.  
  
Tori yawned sleepily and stretched falling back against something warm. Something constricted around her gently. A strong hand against her shoulder turned to a large arm. She colored when she remembered that she had fallen asleep with Anubis. Oh, did I take the low road or what??? Tori swallowed hard and attempted to pull out of his hold. He held her firm, still in a deep sleep. She frowned. Dummy has the strength of a lion... she grumbled. The light of the fire bounced off his face and hair gently. Tori found herself actually admiring the almost god-like beauty of the former warlord. Features of his gentle and beautiful mother and the strength and noble air of his father were prominent. The pair must have had a love like no other to produce such a fine-looking creature, she concluded.  
The fire popped loudly, stirring the sleeping half-demon gently. He opened his teal eyes slightly, then completely when he found her staring at him. She caught her breath and swallowed. "... Hey," he greeted and touched her hair. "Sleep okay?" he asked. Tori nodded with a blush. "How long have you been awake?" he asked suddenly with a superior smirk, knowing that look very well and what she was exactly doing. Knowing that, he felt quite confident and satisfied with himself. There was more to her than she cared to let on.  
"Um, 'bout five minutes," she mumbled.  
"Why didn't you wake me up?"  
"... I didn't want to wake you. Mia said that you haven't been sleeping very well lately," she lied. Anubis raised an eyebrow.  
"Or maybe you just wanted to cuddle, hm?" he purred. Tori frowned and attempted to sit up.  
"Don't flatter yourself. You sound like Sekhmet: rude and perverted," she grumbled. Anubis held her down and smirked.  
"Is that so?"  
"Yes. Now get off," she snapped.  
  
"Hey! Dinner's ready, people!" Megami called upstairs. Her eyes caught Tori and Anubis on the couch in a very suggestive manner. Especially the amount of leg was exposed from the elaborate robe she wore. The front of it was also falling open. Both looked up at her like an animal caught in headlights. Frozen.  
A thundering of footsteps pounded down the stairs: Ryo, Yuli, Rowen, Cale, and Sage. The girls followed more daintily behind them.  
  
"Dais, take off a setting for Domo. She's still resting after earlier," Mia said.  
"Do you know how she is doing? Cale tells me that they had a run in with Kurai himself..." Mia shook her head.  
"She's still asleep... Sage said that Raiko bit her. I just hope that she strong enough to fend off the poison..."  
"What about Anubis and Tori?" he asked.  
"What about them?"  
"Didn't you see them sleeping in the living room? They look quite content with each other," he smirked. "I think they'll be there for quite a while."  
"Hm, maybe now we'll get some peace and quiet," she laughed.  
  
"WHOA!" Rowen gasped.  
"I thought you two hated each other?!" Ryo exclaimed.  
"Get off of me you jerk!" Tori snapped.  
"You're the one who wanted to be all cuddly! You get off of me!!" Anubis defended.  
"I did not! Jesus! How much do you friggin' weigh?!" Tori groaned.  
"Not as much as you!" Anubis spat. A loud slap was heard. "OW!"  
  
Dais sighed heavily. "So much for peace and quiet..."  
  
Kento glanced around the dinner table silently: Cale and Mia were attempting to feed Kiku carrots. Yuli was hiding his peas inside his mashed potato and gravy well when Mia wasn't looking. Rowen and Sai were conversing softly about the antics that had happened earlier in the living room. Dais was deep in thought, glancing at Mia every now and then. Ryo had gone to feed Whiteblaze. Megami, Sakura, and Nasake were giving Tori a hard time. Anubis was trying to eat and nurse his stinging cheek while ignoring the girls. He seemed to be muttering to himself about something unpleasant. As for Lady Kayura and Sekhmet, both were unusually quiet. Domo was gone too. Kento grinned to himself. Ha, ha... perfect opportunity, he chuckled to himself and quickly dropped a pea into the napkin in his lap. He searched the table again:  
  
"Soo, was he all warm and cuddly, Tori?" Sakura giggled. Tori growled.  
"Shut up!"  
"Cute robe, Tori!" Megami chided.  
"Cut it out!" Tori hissed.  
"Stop it you three!" Mia snapped.  
"Sorry, Mia."  
  
No one had noticed. Now... who to pelt? Kento thought.  
  
"Kiku!" Mia scolded, "Don't throw food!"  
"But I don't like carrots!" she whined.  
"Cale's eating them," Mia coaxed.  
"Mmn, goood!" Cale smiled.  
Kiku frowned. Kento armed his spoon.  
  
Nah, Mia'll have a cow... Aha! He spotted Dais. ...Blind spots are cool... and launched a pea upside Dais' head.  
"HEY!" Dais snapped and touched his head. He looked around angrily. No one looked probable.  
  
"Anubis? Maybe you should let me look at that later," Kayura offered and reached for his cheek. Anubis swatted it away with a growl.  
"Just leave me alone. It's fine..."  
"Well! Excuuuse me for caring!"  
"You're excused," he frowned and went back to grumbling.  
  
"Sage? Would you mind bringing Domo a plate of food after dinner?" Mia asked. An obvious blush crept over Halo's cheeks as he nodded. "Kento, no more of those apple dumplings for you. Leave some for Domo," Mia added.  
"I will, sheesh! I may be bottomless, but I'm not a pig!" he laughed.  
"I think piggies are cute!" Megami defended. Kento blushed as several 'woos' erupted from around the table.  
  
Dais frowned slightly and went back to thinking about what Cale and Sekhmet told him about Kurai. ... There has to be a clue in Lady Mia's files about Kurai. What if-   
Another pea. It hit him on his left temple. So, anyone sitting to his right was out: Anubis, Rekka, Kayura, Torrent, or Halo was innocent. Dais glared at the people on his left, before going back to his thoughts. ... Someone wants to be funny...   
"Dais?" Sakura began softly with a light blush. The older man to her was quite attractive, despite her feelings for Torrent however, slight; Dais still was very mysterious. He smiled softly, increasing the heat on her cheeks. "What is it, Suiko?"  
"Is... is there something wrong with the food?" Dais glanced at Strata and Hardrock briefly. "No, nothing at all! It's exquisite! Especially the snow peas... I never knew that you were so talented. This flavor you've added packs quite a... punch," he smiled. Sakura's cheeks heated with praise.  
"T-thank you, Dais!" she giggled.  
Hardrock and Strata... Hmm... He glanced at Rowen's plate. No peas. Hardrock...  
Fully loaded cannons. Dais caught a flash of metal duck underneath the tablecloth as Hardrock ate slowly, another convenience, as oddly disturbing as it was. Dais squinted his eyes at Hardrock's place setting. He smiled to himself. Fire away... Dais calmly went back to eating and waited for the fun to begin.  
  
Kento waited until Dais looked the other way. Man. Is he on to me? ... Gotta be less obvious. He went to arm his spoon when the pea kept rolling off of the utensil. "Huh?" He tried again. The pea escaped. Kento frowned. Finally, impatient, he took an entire spoonful and covered it with his hand. Ha ha! He grinned in triumph.  
"Kento. What the heck are you doin', man?" Ryo whispered as he returned from feeding Whiteblaze. Kento kept an eye on his hand and leaned over to him.  
"My food's alive," he whispered.  
"Alive? You mean like-"  
"Like dust bunnies from central Venus alive!" he hissed softly. Ryo frowned.  
"Dammit. That wasn't my fault. Rowen used bad milk in that batch of muffins."  
"Whatever, man! My food's alive!" Kento argued.  
"Sh'yeah, and monkeys might fly outta my butt," Ryo scoffed.  
"Dude! Look..." Kento removed his hand slowly. The mound of peas was stationary. Ryo rolled his eyes.  
"I think you've had too much saké, man," Ryo chuckled. Kento frowned with a sigh and opened his mouth to shovel the peas inside to eat.  
The peas exploded off of his spoon sending Kento to the floor chair and all. "AH!! WHOOA!" He landed on his back with a thud.  
"Kento!" Mia exclaimed. "Are you all right?!"  
"Kento-kun fall down go boom!"  
"Yes, Kiku," Cale laughed. Ryo leaned over the back of his chair in shock. Kento crossed his arms while still on his back, glaring up at Ryo.  
"... I don't see monkeys, Ryo. Where are the butt monkeys!?!" A chorus of laughter erupted around the room as Ryo helped him up.  
"The only monkey around here is you, Kento!" Sai laughed.  
"Well, Hardrock," Dais began with a satisfied smirk and drank his saké, "I guess Suiko's dish knocked your socks off..." Kento glared at the older man as he set his chair upright and brushed off the peas.  
"Holy cow! He ISN'T wearing socks!" Yuli exclaimed after looking up from underneath the table. Yuli began to shovel the entire well of peas, mashed, gravy and all.  
"Kento-kun, you shouldn't play with your food," Megami giggled. Hardrock smirked as the conversation picked up at the table: Sekhmet and Lady Kayura were more talkative, and even Anubis had almost gotten over his little spat with Tori.  
"Hey! Don't take the last of the pickles! I didn't get any yet!" Tori blocked Anubis' hand from the platter sticks with her set.  
"Ow!" he hissed and then blocked hers and ate the last one  
"Hey!"  
"As you mortals say: 'you snooze you lose'!"  
"Grr! Don't make me hit you again!"  
"I'd like to see you try," he smiled smugly.  
"Tori! Hey cool it," Ryo said gently trying to keep the younger girl from stabbing Anubis to death with a chopstick. Tori growled and sat back. "Here, take my pickles. I never really liked them a whole bunch," he said and handed her his bowl. Tori blushed softly.  
"Uh, thank you, Ryo-kun.  
"'Thank you, Ryo-kun!" Anubis mocked in a high voice. Tori threw a bean at him. "Ah! I hate beans!" he snapped.  
Well, almost...  
  
Domo hissed softly as she pulled away the bandaged around her neck. Fang marks deep into her skin were surrounded by dried blood, and swelling skin. A large bruise began to form around the undamaged area. Her body still felt heavy with some of the poison still remaining in her system. "... I HATE cats..." she muttered.  
There was a soft knock at her door. "S'open." Sage peered inside and bowed slightly out of habit. "Hi, Sage," Domo greeted.  
"H-hey. How are you feeling?" he asked and entered. He had a try of food for her and placed it on her lap.  
"My neck hurts. Raiko gives on hell of a hickie, damn," she laughed.  
"Lady Kayura thought it would be best to see how you would react to Raiko's poison before I healed your wound. You have Korin to protect you so there wasn't a real emergency."  
"I think I'm getting better. I just feel really tired." She lifted the lid and stared at the tray in awe. "Is this all for me?!"  
"Heh, yeah... It was hard to keep Kento away from the leftovers. Anubis and Tori fought over the last of the pickles so..." Domo rolled her eyes.  
"Gimme, gimme never gets. She's always so picky about her food," Domo laughed before praying quickly then eating. "Go ahead and have some food too. I can't eat all this!"  
"I all ready ate, thanks. I can hold my own, but I'm not like Kento!" he laughed. Domo sighed heavily and said nothing. Her sudden change in attitude was odd. "Domo-sama?"  
"Huh? Oh... sorry... I... I had this weird dream a few moments ago. Kinda shook me up... Raiko-"  
"He dead. Sekhmet crushed his skull."  
"Hey I'm eating!" she laughed. Sage blushed.  
"Sorry... you were saying?"  
"Oh, well... It's nothing really I'm just..." She wrung her hands nervously. She was shaking and not because it was cold either.  
"Domo? Hey, it's okay. He's gone."  
"No, Sage. I felt him. He... was inside my head. I still feel like he's there," she whispered rubbing her temples.  
"I think it's the poison." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial that Sekhmet had given to him. "I don't know how it'll taste, but Sekhmet says it'll cure you." Domo took the glass of red fluid cautiously before swallowing it. She coughed and made a face.  
"Blahhh... B-bitter," she growled.  
"It should take a few hours for it to work." He then reached over and covered her neck with his palm. She felt the warm of the Halo armor close the fang marks slowly.  
"Thanks, Sage," she murmured. Halo blushed again heavily and smiled.  
"Well, uh, I'll leave you alone-"  
"You can stay, Sage. I need some company... if you're not busy, that is," Domo interrupted.  
"Won't your guardian get mad?" he said.  
"Her? I dunno what her deal is. I have a boyfriend all ready so there's nothing to worry about."  
"Worry about?" Sage asked.  
"She and I are kinda... one... so whatever I feel she feels. She's not a big fan of the love and fun in case you haven't all ready guessed." Sage nodded with an annoyed sighed.  
"No fun in the sun with her, huh?" Domo shrugged.  
"Who the hell cares? Now help me eat all this before Kento finds his way up here!" she smiled.  
  
"Careful, Kiku! Don't drop it!" Cale warned as he handed her an empty plate from the stack he carried.  
"Thank yooou," she smiled and pushed open the door to the kitchen. Tori and Anubis were stuck doing the dishes as punishment for their rude behavior at dinner. Tori had gone into the dining room to help Cale. Kiku held up the dish to Anubis. "Anubi-chan! Clean this too!" she smiled.  
"Thank you, little one," he sighed and stacked it with the rest. Kiku tugged on the apron that he wore. "Anubi-chan? Do you hate my sister?"  
"Wh-what?! No of course not!" he laughed nervously, not quite wanting to lie to the little toddler.  
"Then you love her?"  
"I-"  
"Are you gonna marry her?!" she smiled excitedly. Tori re-entered the kitchen.  
"Why would I marry 'that' doofus?" she asked her. Kiku blinked up at her sister as she sat her on the counter to clean her face.  
"Cause you are friends!" she beamed. "And you share clothes! Mika's mama and papa share clothes! Remember?" Tori blushed.  
"It's more complicated than that, Kiku. Have Cale-kun explain it to you." She turned to Cale. "You've been married before right?"  
"H-huh? Uh... Well... Yes... but that was a looong time ago, Rekka," he replied.  
"ANYway," Anubis spat, "your sister is far too... too-"  
"Watch it, Red. I can still stab you to death with a chopstick if I have to."  
"Why don't you just shut up and help me out here instead of running your mouth!!" Anubis snapped. Tori growled.  
"Cale-kun!! Make them stoooop!" Kiku exclaimed.  
"Stop bickering! You all ready sound like you're married!" Tori and Anubis flushed heavily.  
"But they're not," Kiku said. "I confused!" she pouted. Cale kissed her forehead gently.  
"You're not the only one, sweetheart," he laughed.  
"Cale-kun, when I grow up, can I marry you?" Kiku asked. A deep blush stained Cale's cheeks.  
"I..." He sighed heavily and smiled. "Yes, Kiku, when you get older, okay? Come on, it's bath time, okay?"  
"Can Captain Bubblehead come too?"  
"That's Captain Bubble MAN, Kiku."  
Tori watched her sister and Cale leave and smiled sweetly. "He really loves her, huh?" she asked. Anubis busied himself with the dishes.  
"Yes. I've known Cale a long time. I've never seen him this happy before now," Anubis replied. The civil tone in his voice surprised her.  
"Wow, now yer all polite and crap. What gives?" Anubis released an annoyed groan.  
"Unlike you, little one, I can let things go."  
"... Whatever," Tori mumbled and began to dry the dishes he cleaned. She stared down at the robe she was still wearing. "Red?"  
"Hm?"  
"Where did you get this robe?" Anubis fell silent for a moment and didn't answer right away.  
"It... was a gift... From Zeal when I knew her a long time ago," he replied. "I don't know why I still have it..."  
"Maybe it's because you still love her," she said. His whole body stiffened with her comment. Tori bit her lip. "Sorry..."  
"... I don't know what I feel. She... is evil now. She's all ready tried killing you twice."  
"Twice?!"  
"Once was when those dark creatures attacked you. The other time was when I was still chained up..."  
"Why me?!"  
"About four years ago, something happened to her. I don't know what, but I think Talpa put a false notion into her head. It somehow involves you, or at least looks like you."  
"Jealousy?? She thinks... ohhhhhhh..."  
"I would be angry too if I had competition. She's very intimidated by beautiful women. She's killed off several of the other girls that I... 'met with' because of their beauty." Tori's face heated at the indirect compliment.  
"...T-thanks," she mumbled. Maybe he isn't such a doofus... Anubis splashed her with suds.  
"Hey, just be very careful when you fight. She's very dangerous," he warned softly.  
"Are you... worried about me, Red?" she giggled.  
"Hey, someone has to watch you. You're such a klutz!" he laughed.  
"I am not!" Tori spat.  
  
Sekhmet pushed his way into the kitchen and stopped as he witnessed a soap fight between Anubis and Tori. "Ack! Stop! You'll ruin your robe!" Tori squeaked.  
"It's just soap-" Anubis released her and straightened. He and Sekhmet hadn't spoken since earlier that day. Anubis could still feel the claws constricting his neck. Sekhmet glared at him silently. The silence between the two was deadly. Tori frowned.  
"Cool it, you two," she snapped. "I'm sick of you two fighting about something that happened almost half a millennia ago!"  
"This does not concern you, Rekka," Sekhmet snarled, feeling his claws extend slowly. Anubis didn't say anything. Tori exploded.  
"This does too concern me, Sekhmet!!" she yelled. "Yeah, it was wrong of Anubis to destroy your home and family, but he couldn't help it! Talpa poisoned his mind with all these terrible things and he couldn't control himself!!" Sekhmet pounded on the marble countertop angrily causing Tori to jump.  
"What do you know, brat?! You weren't there!! You don't have any idea what he did!!!"  
"That doesn't give you any right to be angry!! You did the same things he did after Talpa turned you!! You were just as bad as he was!!!" Sekhmet snarled and lunged at her, lifting his arm to slash her. In an instant, Anubis took the blow against his arm as he shielded her. Sekhmet's claw tore four treads into Anubis flesh. He shot back in shock with Anubis' actions and his own. Anubis grimaced. "Sekhmet! Calm down! Look what you almost did!" Anubis snapped.  
Tori felt tears of anger burn in her eyes. She lunged back at Sekhmet, Anubis holding her back. "YOU KILLED MY PARENTS! ALL OF YOU DID!!" she screamed. "You, Dais, Cale, Anubis, AND Talpa!! You all killed my family, but I know better!! I know that you were just mere puppets that you didn't know what you were doing... I don't blame you or anyone else for what happened! But since you've decided to not bury the hatchet, maybe I shouldn't either!!!!" she cried. Sekhmet felt the heat of shame on his face. "... I'm not asking you to completely forgive Anubis, but... at least TRY to find some peace with each other! PLEASE!" she cried.  
Sekhmet lowered his eyes before turning on his heel and running out of the room. Tori sniffled loudly and dried her eyes before returning to the sink and turning the water on. Anubis turned back to her. "You... didn't have to do that," Anubis said softly. Tori's eyes were hard and full of pain. She silently pulled him to the sink and began to unbutton his shirt to clean his wound.  
"Yeah, I did..." she said sadly.  
  



	26. Chrysanthemum Covered Gravestone 1

A/N: Crap. I just went back to the last two chapters I posted... You can't tell what's being thought by other characters unless you're really paying attention... ::Sighs:: Anyway. I will attempt to fix that from now on. Mail me if there are any problems reading. Thanx.  
  
"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"  
By Onikage  
  
Scroll Twenty-Six: Chrysanthemum Covered Gravestone  
Part One of Three  
  
"'Hormonal regulation of spermatogenesis and testicular androgen production involves interactions between the hypothalamus, anterior pituitary gland, and testes, a relationship sometimes called the brain testicular axis. The sequence of regulatory events, shown schematically in Figure...' Graaahh. I haaate thiiis," Nasake groaned and flopped her head into the middle of her anatomy book. "My head huuurts," she whined. The scent of morning breakfast that Mia was preparing was making it hard for her to concentrate. Dais was calmly eating beside her alongside of Strata, Wildfire, Kayura, Sekhmet, and Korin. Halo was chopping away at the counter.  
"I can't believe you are studying!" Domo groaned and poked Nasake in the head with the back of her chopstick. "Your brain's gonna turn to mush if you work too hard." Nasake frowned.  
"You mean like yours! You wouldn't know a penis from a pituitary if there weren't pictures of them all ready," she snapped. Domo grinned raising her eyebrows slyly.  
"I've got plenty of hands on experience on the latter, thank you very much," she smiled. Sekhmet's eyebrows piqued with interest. A smirk curled onto his lips. Ryo nearly choked on his serving of omuraisu. He colored gently as Kayura giggled sweetly. "Something wrong, Wildfire?" Dais asked. "You look a little... flushed..."  
"N-no... I'm fine," he squeaked.  
"Nasake, why don't you take a break and have some food," Sage offered and handed her a plate.  
"I guess..." she sighed pushing the book aside. "There's no way I'll pass if I can't study." Dais pulled the open book towards him.  
"Tenku? What are you studying anyway?" he asked and flipped through the large book. Nasake swallowed a large amount of orange juice.  
"... Reproductive system," she replied. Dais' one eye widened the more he flipped the pages. Sekhmet peered over his shoulder and scoffed.  
"Peh, I prefer 'Playboy's' anatomy book," he grinned. Kayura rolled her eyes.  
"You would." Dais became completely enamored inside the book.  
"Remarkable... yet... 'clit... clitoris'? What the devil??" Domo, Nasake, and Mia started to giggle, Sage hissed loudly as the knife slipped. "Ow!" Sekhmet sighed heavily and covered his face in shame. Where did he go wrong?? Ryo coughed.  
"U-um... Dais?" he began.  
"What? What's so funny?!" he snapped. Ryo scratched his nose and smirked.  
"Uh, if you don't mind my asking... how many times have you made it with a girl?" Dais frowned with a light blush. It deepened as Mia's gentle perfume tickled his nose when she reached over and started to clear away empty dishes.  
"Uh... I don't keep track. A lot, I suppose. Why?" Ryo leaned close to his ear and started to whisper. Nasake and Domo giggled as the light of knowledge was turned on to Dais' handsome features. "Ohhh... That."  
"Yeah," Ryo said, before falling into laughter. Dais frowned.  
"I don't see what's so funny." He then smiled. "At least 'I' know how to use one properly, Wildfire."  
"I know how one works!!" Ryo snapped defensively. Of course it had been almost a year since... Dais leaned on his elbow and took a lock of Lady Kayura's hair into his palm. "Hmm, what do you say about that, Kayura?" Kayura froze and colored deeply.  
"Nothing, Dais," she gritted. "Why would I know anything about that?!"  
"That bad, huh?" he chuckled. Kayura snatched her hair away with a growl.  
"Your mind is so polluted," she huffed. Dais kissed the top of her head as he stood to clear his dishes.  
"You seemed to enjoy it," he whispered. Kayura's hand few out and pegged him right below the belt of his jeans. He double over slightly with a grunt and gritted out a smile. "Still the animal," he smiled. Kayura growled. Dais set his dishes in the sink and kissed Mia's cheek gently without thinking. "Lovely breakfast as always. I'll be in the shower if anyone needs me."  
"Not likely!" Kayura snapped. She noticed the embarrassed blush on Mia's cheeks as the young woman washed the new dishes.  
"Sekkie!" Nasake gasped and grabbed his bandaged hand. The older man flushed. It was hard getting used to the affectionate shortening of his name. "What happened to your hand?!"  
"Uh, I got it caught on something. It's fine," he lied. He had been actually hoping that no one would notice the result of last night's... anger management failure. He wasn't even thinking clearly when it happened. Sage cleaned off his hands and silently removed the bandage, ignoring some of Sekhmet's objections. He frowned when he discovered that a claw had been partially and forcibly removed. "What did you catch it on?"  
"Does it matter?! Hurts like hell," he muttered. He colored in shame when Kayura gave him a most knowing glare. Sage sighed.  
"Whatever... Just be more careful in the future. Wasting what little power I have on a little careless thing isn't smart." A soft green light came from his palm and his hand was restored. Sekhmet lengthened his claws with ease and retracted them.  
"Many thanks, Halo." He glanced at Domo and Nasake who eyed his hands nervously. "W-what?"  
"Can you purr like a kitty too?" Nasake asked innocently. Kayura sipped her tea delicately.  
"Careful, Tenku. When that man purrs there's only ONE thing he's thinking about..." Nasake blushed heavily.  
  
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"Cale-kun, you have pretty hair," Kiku smiled and brushed the blue locks with a hairbrush. She stood wearily on her bed as he sat in front of her. Cale chuckled. "Thank you, little one."  
"I make more pretty!" Kiku slipped off her bed and dug into a drawer. She tossed out a red, then a yellow, a green, and finally an orange ribbon before claiming a bright pink barrette. "Here!" she smiled and climbed back up.  
"K-Kiku? Little one, what are you doing?" he asked carefully.  
"Making you pretty!" She gently pulled a tuft if hair from the top of his head and fastened it with the decorative pink accessory. If anyone saw him, gods he didn't want to think about it-  
  
"Woo hoo!" Kento cooed from the doorway. Sai laughed.  
"Ha, ha! You look so darling, Cale!"  
"Cale, Ronin of All Things Pink and Frilly!"  
"I think I'm in looove," Sai sang. Cale frowned and growled. He opened his mouth to spout some choice phrases at the bearers of water and earth.  
"HEY! Leave Cale-kun alone!!" Kiku shouted and grabbed her hairbrush. She became even angrier when their laughter continued. Kento yelped, in more shock than pain, when she actually hurled the hairbrush at him, hitting him square in the face. Sai's eyes widened.  
"OW!" Kiku gasped and hid behind Cale. She hadn't quite realized what she did until it happened. Kento growled. "You little-"  
"Cool it, man! She's only four!" Sai hissed. Kento frowned. Cale smirked and pulled the barrette out of his hair.  
"The wrath of the Ronin of All Things Pink and Frilly is deadly, huh?" Kento rubbed his nose.  
"Yeah, she's real Inferno material..." Kento slinked off.  
"S-sorry, Cale..." Sai apologized. "Pink's a good color on you, really!" Cale flashed him a glare before turning back to Kiku. She was crying into his chest.  
"Oh, Kiku. It's okay. They're not mad at you," he smiled.  
"Kento-kun and Sai-kun are mean!" she snapped in a sob. Cale laughed and lifted Kiku in his arms as he stood.  
"Yes! And you taught them a lesson like a good Ronin," he smiled. Kiku dried her eyes.  
"I did?"  
"Yes," he hugged the small child. Kiku clutched his shirt.  
"... I love you, Cale-kun," she sniffled. Cale closed his eyes and sighed heavily thinking of long forgotten memories.  
  
:: Papa!::  
  
"I love you, too sweetheart," he whispered.  
  
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"I won't ask you again..." Anubis grumbled. He glared down at the lump of blankets in the center of Tori's bed. He sighed heavily and grabbed one end, pulling slightly. A snarl much like an angry cat rose from underneath the blankets and he was greeted with a resisting tug. "Mmm... Bugger off..." she grumbled. Anubis sat down on the bed and started poking her head with his finger. "Stop it!" she groaned.  
"I won't stop until you get up..." he smirked. Tori growled and with one swift motion she lifted the blanket away from her head and snapped at him, her teeth grazing his knuckle. "Ouch! You bit me!"  
"Mmm, quick... Go away." She yawned and slipped back underneath her covers.  
"How can someone as lazy as you sleep in this late? It's after eight!" he demanded.  
"Oh no. The world's gonna end because I don't have my butt outta bed before dawn. Oh, god no," she grumbled. Anubis yanked the covers away from her head,  
"It's not wise to fool around like that, especially when the fate of the planet does require you to be up before dawn! You have a choice, little one. You can do as I say and get up, or you can be difficult and I will force you out of bed!"  
"'C' none of the above..."  
"Don't say that I didn't warn you..." He stood and yanked the covers off of her bed, then picked up a glass of water, holding it above her. "Last chance, my dear..." Tori cracked open one eye and sat up.  
"Geez... You don't have to be so threatening... and for god's sake! Have you no decency? I'm in my underwear... Get out, I'll be down in a minute." Anubis smiled and set the glass down, leaving the room. Tori yawned and stood up stretching. She walked over to her doorway and watched him descend the stairs. With another yawn she closed her door and locked it. She then crawled back onto her bed and pulled her blankets back over her head with a satisfied sigh. "... Ya know, for a four hundred year old warrior, he isn't very bright."  
Just as she became comfortable once more the entire house shook, knocking her out of bed, "WAAAH," and on to her stomach. It shook again as she tried standing. "Whaaaat the hell's going ooon!?!" she exclaimed. Her bedroom door burst open: Anubis.  
"Quickly! We need to get outside!!" he exclaimed. Tori picked herself off the ground.  
"Wait a fucking second!! I'm in my damn underwear!"  
"No time! Get your armor or whatever it is on unless you want to end up dead in chicken print panties. It's not a noble way to die, I can assure you."  
"HEY! I like my chicken panties THANK YOU." The jet Ronin like armor appeared in a glow of red light as she met him at the door. "Let's go."  
  
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Sakura scrambled into the living room, nearly knocking Kento and Sai over. The ice pack Kento had on his face exploded everywhere. "Noo! My ice!" Kento whined.  
"Sakura-sama! What's wrong?!"  
The house shook.  
"There's this huge... thing outside!" she cried. "I've never seen something so horrible!!"  
"Huge thing?"  
Another quake.  
"A monster! Wi-with three eyes!!" she exclaimed, shaking in fear. "What the hell is it!?"  
"Th-three... eyes?" Kento breathed before nearly loosing his balance.  
  
"NIUGHHH!!!" The familiar howl rocked through the household. Sakura covered her ears and whimpered. She fell to her knees. "Something's in my heeeead!!!" she screamed.  
  
"Tori!!!" There was a thud and a crash as Tori toppled down the stairs, groaning in pain like Sakura. Anubis followed her immediately and caught her before her head hit the marble floor. "That thing is-AHH!!" she screamed.  
"Anubis! What's going on?!" Kento demanded.  
"How the hell should I know?!" Anubis snapped over the whimpering of the two younger women. Sakura stood slowly and winced.  
"You okay?" Sai gasped.  
"Mnn... Didn't you hear it?" she asked, obviously still in pain. She watched Tori stand slowly, using Anubis for leverage. "'Ri-san?"  
"Ow... What the fuck was that noise?" she growled. "Aw, my friggin' skull... How come you guys weren't... ow," she hissed.  
"Talpa," Anubis growled and dashed out the back door and on to the veranda.  
"NIUGHHH!!!" The shriek was closer now. Tori and Sakura clutched their ears and whimpered.  
"No, no, no!!"  
"Suiko, stop it!!" Sakura begged. Sakura's protective armor formed around her, blue light nearly blinding the others.  
Another scream shocked through the house. Kayura.  
  
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"KAYURA!!" Ryo shouted as a large hand snatched her into its grip before tossing her into the ground. She literally bounced before settling in an unconscious heap. Ryo dodged the monstrous arm of the familiar oni form. With the difference only in hue, the oni was an exact duplicate. Filthy jet hair of Yin was in co comparison to the platinum tufts of this newer creature. Dark skin was now a pale lavender. Even the black and red trio of orbs was now cloudy and ghostly white and deathly blue. It was in every way a negative twin of Yin.  
Oddly, Badamon was not present. Instead a figure cloaked in jet sat upon the left shoulder, silent. An arrow whistled past Ryo and lodged itself into the thick folds of leathery skin on the demon's right shoulder. It grunted and practically ignored the prick. Rowen cursed to himself and unloaded several more rounds of arrows in an attempt to distract it long enough for Ryo to pull the unconscious priestess to safety; a force field had suddenly formed, blocking any new assault. He could feel the temperature again dropping quickly. Crystals of ice were quickly covering his armor as fast as he felt his lungs burn with the frozen air. (... So... cold...) he thought. He turned his head towards his name to some of the others that rushed out of the front of the house: Anubis, a dampen Dais, Cale, and Sekhmet. The lot of them froze in their steps, gaping in awe. Sekhmet cursed, Rowen grateful that he could not fully understand the serpentine tongue. Inside flashes of gold, rose, teal, and amber, their armor appeared fully intact and ready for fighting. Sekhmet wasted no time and drew both of his snake fang swords before sprinting towards the creature with expert speed. Dais, too, had launched himself, dodging blasts of frozen air from the full, thick, and sickly pale colored mouth.  
Both met with a nasty surprise as they slammed with full force into an invisible shield. Anubis and Cale met with a similar fate as they took their chances. Cale pulled himself to his feet before a large clubbed foot pummeled his lower half into the ground. A gurgling bubble cut off his howl of pain as blood gushed from his throat. The foot came down again, only to miss the former warlord as Sekhmet dashed away with him and onto the roof. Cale rolled over to his hands and knees, coughing up blood with a groan. He felt his helmet being ripped off of him. Air came more easily. "G-go!" he managed to hiss to Sekhmet and gestured to the giant pillar of water pummeling into the force field from Torrent. The beast had been distracted. Sekhmet nodded and left Cale to catch his breath.  
"Nooot again!!!" Kento whined and launched his sure-kill again in time with Sai. "Dammit!"  
"Why isn't it working?!" Sai snapped and sent another blast. The wall just absorbed it. Sage brought down his blade. It met with a vicious clang and shook in his hand.  
"Damn it!!"  
"We need Inferno!!" Rowen exclaimed and dodged an arm.  
Suddenly the arm stopped and the creature turned its head to the black clad figure. A low groan met their ears. It stopped. Anubis picked Dais up and on to his feet.  
"What is it doing?" Dais asked in a groan. Anubis scowled up at the darker figure.  
"... I don't know."  
"Anubis! Dais!!" Megami called and rushed to them. Tori, Sakura, Domo, and Nasake followed more slowly out of the house, gaping at the now docile creature. It plopped down on to the ground and just watched the smaller, doll like humans. Rowen shot an arrow. It bounced off the field and the creature made no aggressive move.  
"W-what is that?" Megami gasped softly.  
"It's ugly," Tori spat. "That's what."  
"Tori!" Sakura hissed.  
"WHAT?! Cale's coughing up blood all over the roof! I don't care if it isn't nice! That thing is FUGLY."  
"What are you doing out here?!" Anubis hissed. "What about Mia and the children?!"  
"Relax. Whiteblaze is inside with them and Mia's got the staff..." Domo spat.  
"What is it doing?" Nasake asked. The beast pulled a tree up by its roots and chomped down on it." Dais steeled himself to stand.  
"Feeding his inner Hardrock and ruining Lady Mia's crepe myrtle," he sighed.  
"I'm more worried about our friend on his... hers... its shoulder," Megami mumbled. "Where's Kongo when you need him?"  
"Remember those migraine attacks we just had? Domo said.  
"... Unfortunately," Nasake grumbled.  
"Our godly friends have made a permanent home in our lovely selves," Domo explained with a sigh.  
  
Sage lowered his sword slowly. He glanced at Sai who was becoming quite vexed. He had just pruned those branches too. Kento frowned and kept his tetsubo pointed at the beast. "... Okay. See? I'm not the ONLY one here who gets hungry in the middle of a fight..."  
"Point taken and duly noted. Now what do we do?" Rowen spat. The creature yawned and leaned against a larger tree, falling asleep. "Where the hell's Ryo?"  
"Reviving Kayura..." Sekhmet replied. He saw the young woman waking slowly a few feet away in the trees. He then glanced over at Cale. He had collapsed. For now they would not be getting his help.  
"It would be wise to heal him," the figure advised. They fixed their eyes on the man. This was the first time he had spoken. "Go on... I want you all to see the end of all days," he chuckled. Sekhmet hissed.  
"I'd know that laugh anywhere..."  
"Do you now, Sekhmet?" he chuckled. Sekhmet spat blood trickling from his mouth with a fang filled smile. "The giant gig get old or what?" he laughed. The figure stood and leapt down past the field. The ground quaked faintly as he landed rather gracefully. He straightened and the cloaked man held several inches on Sekhmet who was all ready pushing six feet. Rowen armed his bow.  
"Something like that... Careful, Strata. You'll put an eye out..." the man chortled.  
"I heard that!!!" Dais spat. Anubis frowned and began lifted his kusari-gama.  
"Why don't you quit the ridiculous suspense?" Megami placed her hands on her hips defiantly.  
"Yeah! Just who the hell do you think you are!?" The figure shrugged.  
"... I think I'll wait..." He extended his midnight blue armored hand and a large broadsword appeared into it.  
"Ooh, magic! I'm soooo scared!" Megami rolled her eyes. The empty armored hand beckoned her arrogantly.  
"You should be..."  
"Grr..."  
"How about we play a little game?" he chuckled. "No weapons, no magic attacks," he listed as one by one the weapons of the Ronins vanished from their grasp.  
"What the fuck!?" Kento hissed  
"How the hell?" Sai frowned, attempting to summon it. Sage, Rowen, and Ryo failed also.  
"You're in MY domain, now, boys... Do not fret. It's only a game..." Sekhmet hissed loudly and lunged at him.  
"I may not have my weapons, but I have my fangs!!" Rose-colored electricity halted him.  
"... I thought I de-fanged you... Any more interruptions?" he asked.  
"YEAH!" Kento yelled and lunged at him. He met with the force field and fell back. A rose colored circle had formed around him and the others as well. A deep chuckled filled the air as all the Ronins began to pound at the shield. Honestly, it was like a badly written cartoon: the bad/good guy stands around and gapes until he's over run by a sure-kill or trap in this case.  
"Dammit! Let us out! It's us you want!!" Ryo ordered. Lady Kayura slammed her shoulder into the barrier with a scream.  
"Come now, Kayura... You know as well as I do that you cannot break through that. For once, I am NOT here for you Ronins, Wildfire. Haven't you learned patience yet? " Kayura snarled.  
"I'll give YOU patience!!" she snapped.  
"Now that we won't be disturbed, ladies," the man began, "shall we continue?" Megami folded her armored arms over her chest.  
"Okay. I like games. Whaddya want?" she demanded. The figure shrugged again.  
"World domination," he replied bluntly, "the end of the mortal world, revenge... Shall I continue? I've had a thousand years after all," he laughed.  
"My, my. Not asking for much, huh?" Dais spat. Tori rolled her eyes and summoned a large blade of fire.  
"Cut the crap, evil dude. Tell us who you are and we'll play your stupid game," she smirked. The man stuck his sword into the frost-covered ground and nodded with a glow of his red eyes.  
"Fair enough," he said in a smile. He pulled back the dark hood and threw off the black cloak, vanishing into the air. Snow white hair landed back in place, framing a Wildfire red, grinning mask. "I... am Talpa."  
The Ronins stared in shock after a moment of silence before the young summoners started giggling in fits of amusement. They were laughing, all of them, and at TALPA. Dais eyed the others in slight confusion. Anubis just shrugged, eyes wide.  
"Unn... What happened?" Cale groaned. Sage picked him up inside the barrier they shared.  
"You got stepped on," Sage answered obviously. "How do you feel?"  
"Like I got stepped on... What... TALPA?!?!?"  
"Welcome back, Cale," Anubis murmured still not believing that these girls had the gall to laugh at someone who just trapped half of their entourage.  
"Oh... my... god!!" Megami laughed and turned to Kento. "THAT'S Talpa?! He's so... goofy lookin'!" Kento smiled nervously.  
"Ehhh, y-yeah... This is gonna get ugly," he said through his teeth to Sai. Torrent nodded humbly.  
"Not exactly... evil," Sakurai giggled. "Did you sleep in when they were giving out the evil costumes at school?" Talpa picked up his sword again saying nothing. He simply set out four currents of red energy binding all but one summoner: Megami. Laughter turned to screams as they collapsed. Megami gasped.  
"HEY!" It stopped. Sai pounded on the wall.  
"You bastard!!" Talpa laughed.  
"I could have killed them... Throttle back, Torrent. You sound like Hardrock."  
"Yeah, well fuck you too, man!" Kento snapped, kicking the barrier. His foot began to throb. "Fuck..." Talpa pointed his sword to Megami.  
"Let us see what they taught you." Megami growled. Bright orange energy formed into her hands as she grinned. "Kento-kun and Anubis taught me this!" she said proudly.  
The earth began to shake below their feet. Deep grooves and tracks exploded from behind Talpa. The energy burrowed toward him and dug into the earth below his feet. A pillar of earth shot upward, taking the evil emperor with it. Megami opened her hands, the pillar parallel to her motions. Talpa fell through the split before Megami crushed her grip, the pillar forming as one once more. With an angry snarl she charged the pillar before shattering it with a staff of pure orange light. "Earthshaker!!" she cried. The pillar shattered, blowing boulders and shrapnel of stone everywhere. She backed up smugly and spun her weapon behind her.  
"All right, Meg!!" Kento cheered.  
"Nuthin to it!" As the dust cloud separated, Talpa walked back toward them, unscathed. He chuckled.  
"Impressive..." Talpa dusted the fragments of dirt from his shoulders.  
"HOW THE HELL!?" Megami snapped. Talpa lifted his hand, Megami going with it before she was flung into Kento.  
"Join your mentor!" he laughed. He beckoned Suiko and Tenku. "Next?"  
"A-after you, 'Sake..."  
"Gee, THANKS."  
Nasake gulped and closed her eyes before she vanished from sight. Talpa snapped his head up and saw her dive-bombing him. He shielded herself with his arms to only have his feet swept out from under him. The back of his head connected with the ground. He found himself in total darkness. Pulling himself to his feet, he laughed. "Very nice... Dais has taught you a clever trick," he chuckled. The sounds of the Ronins and the others were gone. He saw nothing. "Where are you, little kitten?" he sang. A strong gale of wind sliced his back. Another blade of wind sliced across his front, then his leg, then and his armored cheek. Talpa swung his sword hard and hit nothing. He chuckled. "Enough... This is taking much too long..." He held out his hand and a red ball formed in it. He grasped it and smashed it to the ground, blinding Nasake. She yelped and covered her eyes. "HEY! Cheater!"  
"You girls are so amusing! When will you learn that I don't-" He struck her with such a force that it knocked her into Strata's bubble. "- play fair!!" he cackled. "This is fun!" Light returned to the yard. Talpa turned to Suiko. "How about you, little girl?" he laughed.  
"I'm not little," she spat. With an angry snarl, she blasted him with a stream of water that quickly turned to a spear of ice. Before Talpa could react, it had impaled him. Sakura jumped up in triumph. "Yesss!"  
"... Creative..." Talpa mused and pulled the spear out of his chest. The armor closed up. There wasn't a trace of damage. "If only I were actually ALIVE. Hm. Too bad." Sakura squeaked as she collided with Sekhmet. He caught her.  
"Asshole," she muttered. Talpa rested his sword on his shoulder.  
"Come now. Don't make me choose," he sighed. Tori sighed and looked at Domo.  
"Odds?"  
"Evens," Domo said.  
"Ja, ken, po!" they chanted. Anubis clapped his hand to his forehead.  
"Our fate rests on Rock Paper Scissors... Lovely..."  
"Damn! I lost!" Tori pouted. Domo smirked.  
"Duh." Tori sighed. She armed herself with a flamed sword.  
"Okay, Tutu... Bring it." Talpa stood straight.  
"Oh? You wish for me to go first? Fine!!" Talpa raised his hand and shot a ball of energy into her, blasting her into Anubis and Dais. Anubis lifted her by her cloak.  
"You haaad to pick scissors. You NEVER pick scissors!"  
"Shut up! I beat YOU with scissors!" she snapped. "Put me down!" Domo summoned a sword of light and frowned.  
"Let's dance, Talpa," barely left her lips before she lunged at him, thoroughly preparing to miss. As she leapt past him, Talpa latched onto her wrist and tucked her deftly under his arm, her facing behind them. Before a chuckle of victory left his throat, he wilted to one knee and dropped her as Domo proved to be very flexible by planting the back of her armored heel into the grinning mask. She heard the cheers of Hardrock and Megami as she twisted in mid air to land on her feet behind Talpa. He whipped around with an angry grunt and charged her. Domo smirked. "Hmph," and ran up the trunk of a nearby tree, flipping over him and clocking Talpa in the back of the skull with her foot. He caught himself with his arms and rolled to his feet. He picked up his sword from the ground. "Quick one, aren't you?" Domo didn't even blink when he suddenly appeared behind her. "But not quick enough," he whispered. Domo opened her mouth to gasp, only to have her breath stolen as a knee landed firmly into her side. An uppercut sent her flying on to her back nearly thirty feet, another ten when her back scraped the ground. Domo snarled and pulled herself to her feet. They were instantly swept out from under her, finding herself pinned. She snarled at the glowing red eyes and that stupid grinning face leering down at her. "Now," he began, stopping abruptly as stars exploded in his vision as she expertly managed to miss his armored forehead and hit the exposed area with her own. The armored circlet proved quite effective. She kicked him off of her and snatched his sword, driving it into his back with a scream. Domo backed away, gasping for air. "... Bite me," she huffed turning to the others with a smile. Their prisons had faded. She laughed with a gasp as Cale lifted her happily with a spin. Her eyes widened as he kissed her squarely on her lips. "Excellent, my dear!!" he cheered and set her down. Domo's cheeks flared.  
"Th-thanks." She saw Megami roll Talpa over onto his back.  
"What a retard!" Kento smiled as he found that he could summon his weapon again. "Feel so naked without this thing," he grinned wildly.  
"I just feel naked, period," Nasake mumbled. "How can you stand wearing this armor??"  
"Dude!! Let's look under the mask!!" Kento suggested.  
"Uh, Hardrock," Kayura began. "I... I don't think that is a wise idea," she said glancing at Tori. "Leave it-"  
"NO WAY." Kento bent down and unfastened the mask. He dropped it into the snow with a gasp. "H-holy shit..."  
"It's..." Dais gasped.  
"Oh my god," Nasake gasped and turned away. Tori covered her mouth and sank to her knees beside Talpa. "'Jiisan??" The face was the same; however, scars covered the visage. Tears fell from her eyes. "Is... is this some kind of JOKE?" she spat angrily.  
"Rekka... Kaos and... Talpa were brothers... Both were born of Shakujo long ago. Shakujo chose Kaos and Talpa swore revenge..." Kayura explained gently and knelt beside her. "I... thought you knew."  
"Why would I know!? I've never even heard of Talpa until a few months ago!!" Tori hissed through tears. Anubis knelt beside Talpa and lifted the mask. Domo kneeled beside him. "Twins... How fitting," she murmured. "Masaki- san was good, he was evil..."  
"Amazing... I never thought I would feel... remorse," he whispered.  
"He's not Kaos. He just looks like him," Domo said stiffly. She glared down the entire length of the armor. He didn't seem like the shell she had been told about by Mia. In fact, he looked human, almost too much like the Ancient One. The resemblance was astounding and not to mention a little bit cryptic. Her sharp eye caught a slight twitch of his index finger of the hand closest to her. Before a gasp could even escape her emerald glossed lips, the hand shot up and snagged her by the throat in a choking grip as Talpa took to the air. "That... hurt," he glowered, eyes flashing red. Domo clawed at his hand desperate for air. He cast an empty gaze down to Anubis as he held the infamous red mask. He summoned it silently, ripping it from his grasp. Still clutching Korin's summoner by her neck, he refastened it. "I think it is time for little Yang to wake..." he chuckled.  
  
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A/N: ::raises eyebrows:: Yeah, I know Talpa's out of character a little bit... Kind of a bad ass attitude... Oh well, stay tuned for part two!! Oh, omuraisu, in case you are wondering, is a Japanese omelet made with onions, eggs (duh), mushrooms, chicken, butter rice, white wine, ketchup (ew...), and salt and pepper! I made it last night. GOOD STUFF. 


	27. Chrysanthemum Covered Gravestone 2

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"  
By Onikage  
  
Scroll Twenty-Seven: Chrysanthemum Covered Gravestone  
Part Two of Three  
  
Talpa cackled darkly as Domo continued to struggle. "I almost miss the feeling of air in my lungs," he sneered when Domo began to loose consciousness. Her eyes flared emerald briefly attempting to blast free of his iron grip. Talpa caught her hand and crushed it in his grip. "Stop struggling," he taunted softly. He tightened his hold around her neck sharply. Blood bubbled past her clenched teeth just as he sight went black.  
  
=Thunderbolt Cut!!=  
  
The sure-kill slammed into Talpa, knocking the unconscious summoner from his grasp. A snarl left him has he saw Halo catch her swiftly. He would pay dearly for that.  
  
=Snake Fang Strike!=  
  
Although that would have to wait...  
Sage ducked under an icy blast from the giant oni, now known as Yang. He frowned. They really should have expected two instead of the one that they previously fought. Ying and Yang? Come on. Sage carefully unfastened the jeweled clasp of Domo's holy cloak and loosened her breastplate slightly, just so she would be able to breathe. "Domo-sama, come on, wake up!" he called as he healed the surprisingly minor damage to her throat. She was lucky. He only choked her instead of breaking her neck like he feared. Domo began to cough madly as Sage turned her on to her stomach, letting the blood leave her airways. She gasped and pulled herself up, still clutching her throat. "Ooh... Shoulda... s-seen THAT... coming," she coughed. "Thought that was a little... too ea-easy."  
"If only- LOOK OUT!" he shouted and tackled her to the ground before a barrage of energy arrows bombarded them. One sank into his leg and hissed as it vanished. Sage snarled and turned to their attacker. Violet eyes met dark teal ones framed by a mane of ivory hair: Fou-Lu. "Go help them. I got this..." Domo raised her eyebrow.  
"I'm not your average damsel in distress, Halo," she snipped. "I can hold my own," she added throwing a ball of pure energy into Fou-Lu. Despite all other efforts from before when they fought Talpa, this had a unique effect. Sage's mind clicked. Why was he emitting more dark energy than Talpa? Fou-Lu responded before he had a chance to dwell on the thought at hand. "I was wondering when you were going to show up," Sage spat to him and jumped into the air before Fou-Lu incinerated the spot with another teal heated blast.  
"... Someone has to keep thee busy," Fou-Lu smiled. Sage stiffened, unable to find the darker meaning to his cryptic response. His eyes narrowed at the warlord before a heated duel began, with Korin's summoner keeping Fou-Lu on his guard. No one ever said that the good guys ALWAYS had to fight fairly.  
  
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"NIUUGHHH!"  
"Go, my child!" Talpa laughed and put himself well out of the reach of the other Ronins to watch. His task was done... for now. Beneath the mask, his smile widened as all six summoner runes burned brightly from the backs of Yang's hands to the top of his head. Yang batted several of the Ronins out of the air as if they were flies while ignoring the much weaker sure- kills of the summoners. Suiko's aqua blue rune burned brightly on the right as well as Kongo's on the left. Yang slammed his palms into the ground erupting a wave of earth and water energy burrowing through the frozen earth toward Hardrock and Torrent. Fitting that they fall submissive to their own element. Between sure-kill and physical blows, it was only a matter of time before Wildfire summoned Inferno. Talpa could hardly wait. He hadn't had this much entertainment in centuries.  
  
Yang snatched a fallen tree and hurled it at Cale and Dais who effective dodged it before it embedded halfway into the veranda. The actual house though remained undamaged. Dais' heart began to thud rapidly more than it all ready was. That tree had landed a little too close to the bedrooms where Mia and the children may have been hiding. He hoped that Whiteblaze had enough sense to lead them to the cellar or better yet away from the house all together. He remembered Kaos telling him of an abandoned shrine a few miles away from the house. Ancients of yore had used it to guard the gate between the Nether and the Mortal Realms. Any place would be safer than here. Yet he did not want to take the chance that Whiteblaze may have not. (I've got to lead it away somehow...) he thought. "Cale!! Get it to follow you!"  
"ME?!" the younger Ronin sputtered.  
"We've got to get it away from the house!!"  
"Just how do we do that?!" He felt a strong gust of wind blow past him as Nasake them with incredible speed. In less than two hard leaps she had gained enough air to catch the trioed gaze of Yang. Nasake bombarded his face with arrows, blinding it in two out of the three eyes thoroughly pissing him off. An earth-shattering wail halted all combat briefly. Black blood ran running rivers down his face and corroded the ground where vegetation would fail to grow ever again. Yang knocked back Hardrock, Torrent, and Strata in its attempt to chase down the lightning quick Tenku. Dais nodded in approval as she managed to lead it away from the house.  
"That'll work..." and followed.  
  
"Nasake!!" Tori exclaimed as her friend and Yang vanished into the woods, leaving a clear path of destruction in their wake. Yang was rather quick, despite his size, much faster than his twin sister Yin. "How the hell it that fast?!" she snapped loudly.  
"This time it has all six runes!" Kayura yelled to her as she followed her from behind. Kayura blew past her without any effort. Before Tori could even gauge what happened, a blue heat slammed into her chest knocking the wind out of her and into the ground. The exclamations of what sounded like Anubis and Strata filled her ringing ears before it was cut off completely by the sound of her own screams as a boot dug into her stomach.  
"What does it take to destroy you?!" a woman snarled and grasped her by the hair. Tori coughed and looked up at the woman. She bore a striking resemblance to her. Tori spat out a mouthful of spit and blood with a look of disapproval. She didn't want to sound arrogant to herself, but there was a clear difference between the two. (Anger issues, always frowning, jealous out the ASS... Yep, I'm definitely WAY cuter...) "... You must be Zeal," she groaned as the warlord tightened her grip around her hair. "PMS much?" She was greeted with the back of an armored hand to her face. "Shut it, whore."  
"Make me, bitch." Tori cried out as another blow landed into her chest breaking several ribs.  
  
Anubis felt his throat dry at the familiar figure. He turned his head to Strata as they dashed. "Go on ahead! Wildfire needs you!"  
"What about them?!" Anubis ran faster.  
"... Leave that to me."  
  
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Sage felt his arms begin to burn as he held Fou-Lu's heated sword at bay with his own. He was struggling with both arms when the warlord only used one. Fou-Lu used his other to block each and every blast Domo threw at him. This demon's skill was astounding. Sage threw his whole body into his weapon and managed to push Fou-Lu away long enough for him to at least have a split second or two of how to handle this. "... Something troubles ye, Halo?" Fou-Lu asked.  
"Yeah, you."  
"What about me?"  
"Just who the hell are you?!" Sage demanded and once again found himself in another stalemate blade lock with him. Fou-Lu smiled from the cover of his helmet.  
"I think you know the answer to that..." Sage snarled again.  
"Answer me this," he spat and sent a blast of light from his weapon, sending Fou-Lu skidding across the ground on his back. Fou-Lu stood wearily. His eyes flashed from teal to dark violet briefly. A deep and familiar chuckle started from his throat. Something in Halo's mind suddenly clicked.  
  
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Rekka was not sure what exactly made the horrible cracking noise as her spine connected with the trunk of another large tree, yet the pain quickly diverted her attention elsewhere. The angry female snarled. She ran her fingers through Tori's hair again and twisted the long strands, sharply yanking her head back. Tori flinched as she felt a hot blade lightly glide over her throat and its searing heat burning the flesh. Zeal smiled upon seeing deep red blood trickling down her neck, and wanted so badly to take the dagger and slice her slender neck, but instead she drove her dagger into her shoulder. Tori let loose a cry that shattered the eerie silence in the forest as Zeal thrust the blade deeper into her. Tori felt the weapon exit out the back of her shoulder blade, and the bones being splintered by Zeal's wrenching of the blade in excruciating positions. Blood gushed out of the openings like water rushing through a broken dam, never seeming to stop, and the flow continuing on and on. Zeal grinned as she yanked her weapon free of Tori's shoulder, hearing her scream once more. "... I bet you screamed louder as he thrust in and out of you," she snarled softly, face darkening. "Did you enjoy it? Did you enjoy the feeling as he tore into you like a damp parchment!?" Tori gazed helplessly up at the infuriated woman, clueless to what or whom she was talking about.  
"What... What the hell are you... talking a-about?!" she choked out.  
"You lying little whore!" she snarled and threw Tori into the ground. Zeal's heel connected with her temple causing her to fly into a fallen tree. "Do not play innocent with me! You are the filthy little plaything that seduced him!!"  
"A-anubis?-" the blood pouring from her throat halted her and she began to cough up large amounts of the thick copper tasting fluid. Zeal looked down at her in disgust. "Pitiful..." She kicked her in the gut, making her scream louder.  
"ZEAL!!"  
Zeal whipped her head to the right and saw Anubis standing in full body armor, his eyes burning with anger and rage. She just smiled and sunk her boot into Tori's abdomen again. "There you are... I was afraid I would have to let her live long enough for her to tell me where you were! Now I can kill this little rodent... Pity. I wanted to torture her some more." Anubis hurled his kusari-gama at her. Shattering the ground, Zeal had managed to leap out of the way. "You have lost your touch, darling," she purred. Anubis felt his stomach turn as he remembered how they used to be in love, or what he thought for a while.  
"Away with you... I do not have time to waste on the Devil's temptress!" He hurled his kusari-gama into her chest with a sickening crack. Zeal stumbled, wiping the blood that had begun to ooze from her lips. Another growl emanated from her throat as her lips curled darkly."... Feh... This is only the beginning, dear Anubis... MY mission has been completed all ready. Enjoy the lovely belated engagement gift," she laughed and vanished in a burst of blue flames.  
  
Tori struggled to sit up. She wiped the blood from her gold glossed lips with a snarl. "Bitch... surprised me," she hissed. It hurt to breathe. Anubis set his weapon down and lifted her gently into his lap.  
"You idiot! Didn't I tell you to be careful?!" he snapped.  
"Yes, thank you, Anubis! I can breathe just fine with the blood filling my lungs," she heaved with a frown. Anubis banished his weapon as he stood.  
"Little one, do me the favor of shutting up. Save your energy and air..." he said sternly. Tori caught the hint of fear in his voice and obeyed. Anubis saw the color draining from her face and frowned. Where was Halo?  
A forest green blur careened past them and crashed into several trees, destroying the large trunks. Anubis shot his head in the direction it came from.  
"SAGE!!" Domo exclaimed before having a knee planted harshly into her stomach. She crumpled to the ground coughing. Wisps of ivory flowed surprisingly gently beneath the black helmet. Anubis' eyes narrowed further at the Dark Warlord of Death. Fou-Lu stood above Domo and merely shook his head before lifting her up by her hair.  
"I was expecting more from ye, Korin... We shall finish this at a later morrow... if you survive..." he whispered harshly into her ear.  
"It's a... date," she hissed. Fou-Lu made a small laugh and dropped her to the ground before Halo had a chance to retaliate. "Bleached blonde jerk off," Domo spat and wiped the blood from her forehead as she stood. She caught sight of Anubis holding a very pale Rekka.  
"What the fuck did you do to my friend!?!" she demanded and ran up to them surprisingly quickly with that nasty limp. She practically ripped Tori out of Anubis' arms. "'Ri-san! Red!!" she called. "Wake up you ho!!" she snapped slapping Tori's cheeks a little less than gently. Bronze eyes fluttered open, then Tori frowned.  
"I heard you. Stop... yelling," she heaved.  
"What happened?"  
"Anubis psycho girlfriend wailed on me... cause she thinks I'm boinkin' him," she whispered with a slight blush. Domo smirked.  
"Are youuu?"  
"Fuck you..." Tori spat with a blush. "No way!" She fell into a fit of coughing just as Sage pulled himself out of the bushes.  
"Halo!" Anubis called and lifted the slightly smaller man to his feet by the back of his armor. "You look like hell," Anubis added.  
"This coming from the man with the shiner," Sage grimaced. "We've got to stop, Ryo..."  
"What?"  
"The armor of Inferno... if he uses it on that demon, then-"  
"Tori!! TORI!" Domo exclaimed. "Sage!!"  
  
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Talpa chuckled as he watched the white armored Ryo dart around madly trying desperately to dodge Yang's ice attacks. "Like a white lab rat," he laughed from his spectator's spot on a cliff. A cold breeze came from behind. "Is it done?" Talpa asked.  
"Aye..." Fou-Lu answered. He looked down and watched Wildfire's futile attempts.  
"... All this waiting is boring me," Zeal snapped as she appeared out of the air from above them. Fou-Lu looked up.  
"What is the matter? Haven't ye had enough amusement all ready?"  
"... It isn't any fun killing in a rush... Anubis saw to that, but if you are talking about the little task from earlier," she began and slid her arm around Fou-Lu's, "... It was like a roll in the bed with Raiko: over way too quickly." Talpa chuckled.  
"If things go as planned, that will change, my dear," he said in a silken tone.  
"What about Managi, my lord?" Zeal asked.  
"... She has regained her memory... She is of no use to me now... I banished her into the abyss for Badamon to deal with..." he replied emptily. Zeal froze in shock. He was so affectionate to her. She was the only one to actually make him laugh without using anything but her personality. It wasn't making sense...  
"Something amiss, my lady?" Fou-Lu asked.  
"Hm? Oh, I was... thinking about what will happen when Wildfire destroys that ugly thing..."  
"Why don't we get a better view?" Talpa suggested.  
  
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"WHAT?!" Anubis exclaimed as Sage revived Tori as best as he could. "Are you positive, Halo?!"  
"It's a theory," he replied.  
"What the hell does that mean!?"  
"Will you two shut up?!" Domo snapped.  
  
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Ryo spun the swords of Fervor wildly, too tired to properly dodge the blasts anymore. His less than graceful swings were barely keeping him from getting burned by the icy breath. He could tell that Yang was weakening too. Funny, Yin fought a lot harder than her brother and she still had power to spare. Yang looked like it was ready to collapse at any moment. One blast finally slid past his defenses, knocking him roughly into the wall of the cliff from where Talpa and his minions had been watching unbeknownst to him. That was it.  
"Okay! Now I'm mad," Ryo spat and flung the swords sharply to his sides. Glancing quickly to his right and left, making sure that the others were safely out of the way before he went postal. His armored body began emitting a searing heat, melting the frost and snow around him instantly. Yang regarded him numbly and continued to attack; however, his blast melting to nothing before they even reached their target.  
"'Bout damn time!! GEEZ!" Hardrock shouted from the cover of stone. Ryo smirked. He was always to damn impatient, then again, Ryo loved the chills that ran up his spine when the cheers of the others urged him on. He would only feel more powerful and then felt that he could do anything. Ryo's eyes began to blaze with white fire.  
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tori and Domo racing towards them a look of terror on their faces. They seemed to be screaming something. The heat of the armor dulled all of his senses. He couldn't make anything out the more the power grew. Whatever it was it could wait...  
  
Anubis and Sage tackled the two summoners into the ground as they saw Ryo's chest heave in once before he shrieked the release of Inferno's ballistic power. In a flash of white light, Yang was reduced to a smoking pile of mass in a matter of seconds.  
Ryo fell to one knee as the heat resided. He was only able to take one breath of relief before screams of agony met his ears. He snapped his head up to find Rekka and Korin clutching their skulls in pain as the writhed in agony on the ground. The cries of his comrades barely registered with the others. What had happened? Their bodies blazed with their corresponding colors wildly. Ryo rushed over to Anubis and Halo as they attempted to calm the wails of pain from the two friends. He couldn't stem the stab of horror in his stomach that the demise of Yang was causing this... No. Not Yang. It was what he had that was now gone.  
  
"Thank you ever so much, Wildfire!!!" Talpa cried as he descended to the smoking clearing below. Fou-Lu and Zeal followed just as smugly. Ryo whipped around and armed himself, still knowing that he was still very weak.  
"You have no idea what you all have accomplished for me!" he continued and extended his hand to Zeal. She presented a dagger to him and he took it in a surprisingly normal hand: one of flesh. Ryo regarded the hand with shock. "You seem surprised, Wildfire..." With one quick motion he opened his palm and slashed it. Red blood began to flow from the opening.  
"N-no," was the only thing that left Kayura's lips. Talpa turned to her.  
"Oh, yes, my dear... With the Ancient now gone, I am the soul 'protector' of this realm," he sneered.  
"Whaaaaat?! NO!" Kento argued and gestured a defiant hand to Lady Kayura. "Hello? She's an Ancient too!!"  
"Half. She is HALF Ancient, Hardrock..." Kayura froze. "Oh? You didn't know?" She shook her head silently with wide eyes as she backed away slowly.  
"H-how?" she gasped.  
"Very simple... That stupid monk defeated me a thousand years ago and broke up my armor using those runes of your summoners," Talpa began and gestured to the now unconscious females. "He was missing one unfortunately for him, so he used himself as a-"  
"Yeah, yeah, get to the point!" Rowen shouted just as the girls were reviving.  
"Mn? What happened?" Nasake murmured.  
"What's he talking about, Sai?" Sakura asked. Anubis lifted Tori to her feet. She was wide-awake when she caught Zeal out of the corner of her eye.  
"... I had the option of retrieving the armor OR... destroying the runes and the seal. Since Kaos was apart of that seal... they BOTH had to die... Wildfire saw to aiding me with those confounded shards with Inferno. Why not use the power that defeated me before to free me now?" he finished  
"B-both?" Cale began softly, fear shoving aside his thudding heart that was all ready lodged into his throat. Zeal fingered the edge of her spear with a grin.  
"Yes, both," she cooed. "I wanted to kill the others too, but... that would be just cruel..." she chuckled.  
A low rumble began slight, before it shook the earth violently, knocking everyone to the ground. Kento gripped Megami to his chest as the ground broke down below them. He took to the air along with the others. "This is NUTS!!"  
"LOOK!" Domo pointed to Fou-Lu. The ground was stationary only where he stood. Talpa and Zeal took to the air in shock.  
"What do you think you are doing, Fou-Lu?!" Talpa demanded.  
  
Anubis batted away large shrapnel of stone flying towards him, Tori, and Wildfire. His eyes widened in shock as the dark red and black armor shattered in a blast of purple light from Fou-Lu's body. Pieces of the helmet glittered into the ever-growing chasm as it swallowed tree after tree until it stopped. Jet hair of an incredible length spilled out from the helmet as ivory vanished the way of crimson horns. Teal eyes shifted to violet as dark clouds loomed overhead, blocking out all light. Day became night in a matter of seconds and the only light was the light from the Ronin armors and the intensity of Fou-Lu's power. Wildfire gasped at the familiar man that hovered over the dark abyss. "... Holy god," Ryo breathed.  
"Not... quite, Wildfire," he said darkly. "I told you that you couldn't stop me," he chuckled.  
"Kurai..." Sage breathed.  
"Very good, Halo. You are brighter than you appear..."  
"Fou-Lu... Now I remember where that name came from. Fou-Lu means 'un holy one' in my native tongue," Anubis murmured aloud.  
"A little late for that, Red," Tori spat. Anubis frowned and opened his mouth to retort when he saw her eyes glaze over from a soft bronze to a wild ruby. She pushed past Wildfire and Anubis. Korin, Kongo, Suiko, and Tenku followed in suit. Kurai smiled.  
"Brothers, sisters... My heart swells that we are all together again," he said. Domo's eyes narrowed.  
"What heart?" she spat in a voice that was not her own.  
"Why are you here? Let these mortals be. They have changed since we banished you," Rekka's voice said gently from Tori's lips. Kurai's eyebrows lifted.  
"War, hunger, hate, betrayal, pestilence are still present. Humans fight each other over simple material things. Half of them believe in no god or gods at all," he said.  
"That is your doing, dear brother," Kongo snapped. "They appeared when you started your vendetta." Kurai's eyes darkened. The shard from his staff began to glow faintly.  
"You think you can defeat me? I feed off of all the despair, hate, and greed of these mortals you wish to protect. It was not so back then... It has be a LONG time saving," he smiled darkly. Tenku snarled and shot a beam of sapphire light into him followed by Kongo, and the Suiko. Kurai grunted and laughed bitterly.  
"I can see that the lack of faith has weakened you all," he continued. Rekka then shot a strong beam.  
"Amaranthine will take care of that," Rekka replied.  
"Ah, his dark twin... The monk spoke of it..."  
"The monk found it," Korin smiled wryly. Kurai's eyes flashed. They were right, he was still weak.  
"It still won't be enough," he spat as he felt his strength draining. His presence was fading back into the Nether Realm.  
"We shall see," Korin spat before a blinding light sent him through the air and into a portal. Rekka looked up as it closed.  
"It won't hold him forever."  
"Do you think he can use it?" Suiko asked Rekka looking back down in the direction of Wildfire.  
"Kaos gave him the power once..." Tenku replied.  
"I think our older brother, Jidai will be pleased," Kongo said. Tenku looked down at the Ronins as they stared in awe.  
"Let us go... They're becoming restless," he sighed as the light around Nasake faded. Suiko sighed heavily.  
"Big brother Kurai's really mad, huh, Rekka-sama?"  
"... Very... Let's go," he said softly.  
Korin looked down at Halo silently, then turned her gaze toward Wildfire and Anubis. "Before they were elders... they're still so young..."  
  
Megami blinked and looked around. "WOW! Look at the size of this hole!!!"  
"I'm flying!!" Sakura gasped. "How'd we get up here?!"  
"Dunno, but Kurai and Talpa are gone," Domo pointed out.  
"Chickens..." Megami muttered. "I want my rematch, TALPA!! YOU HEAR ME!?" she yelled up at the dark sky. "Hey, the moon's out!"  
"It was just morning!" Sakura exclaimed.  
  
"CALE!!!" Dais called after him as the former warlord ran back in the direction of the house. He saw that Rekka was not far behind him... 


	28. Chrystanthemum Covered Gravestone 3

Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor  
By Onikage  
  
Scroll Twenty-Eight: Chrysanthemum Covered Gravestone  
Part Three of Three  
  
Cale leaned against the front door of the house gasping for air in deep gulps, his legs burning from the non-stop sprint to the house. He had made the trip of nearly five miles in under a minute. He felt Rekka's presence not far behind. She was rather fast for one so young. It was the longest minute of his life. The twenty seconds it took from the door through the first floor was even longer. "L-lady Mia!!" he managed to shout all ready out of breath. "W-whiteblaze!!!" He scrambled throughout the downstairs from kitchen to study and from foyer to parlor. The house was too big he growled to himself. His family was too big too on another note that made his heart scream. It was all ready racing as he finally made it to the stairs. He heard Rekka barrel into the front hall just as he made it up to the second floor. "C-cale!"  
Cale swung his large body around the first turn of the hallway and froze at the sight. Yuli lay against the carpet unmoving. "YULI!!" he exclaimed and lifted the limp boy into his arms. There was a nasty bruise forming on the side of his face, his arm appeared broken too, his wrist twisted in an impossible position. Touching his forehead gently, Yuli murmured softly, stirring. Cale let out a sigh of slight relief to find that he was alive. "Mnn..."  
"Yuli," he breathed, trying to stay calm. He opened his eyes.  
"C-cale..." Dark blue eyes misted as the small boy smiled, despite the pain.  
"Little one, are you all right? What happened?" he asked softly.  
"... I... heard a noise and... then... Mia was screaming... I don't know what happened after that..." Cale lay Yuli down carefully and unfastened his cape before balling it quickly into a makeshift pillow and placing it underneath Yuli's head. It was sticky with blood. "Lay still and wait for Halo. Try and stay awake. Recite that mantra I taught you. Do you remember it?"  
"Sun is warm... grass is green?" Cale smiled tearfully.  
"N-no, but that will work too... Where did you hear Lady Mia?"  
"... The... the room... Mine and... K-kiku's..."  
"Thank you..." Cale rushed down the hall wiping away fresh tears. An angry snarl was his only warning as a large mass tackled him to the floor. Fangs snapped toward his neck before Cale let the large mouth clamp down on his forearm. Whiteblaze shook it in his teeth angrily in rage and fear, roaring loudly. Warm blood splattered Cale's cheek as he the large beast tried to rip at his arm viciously. It didn't really hurt him. Whiteblaze was too badly injured to break through the armor. He couldn't even if he was at full strength. "Whiteblaze!!! Whiteblaze!! It's me!! Let go!!!" The tiger slowly became docile. He released Cale quickly and whimpered, nosing around to feel his face. It was then that Cale could see the reason for his behavior: Whiteblaze's sight was gone. A large gash ran horizontally across the line of his sight, which left the beast completely blind. Tears threatened to fall as he embraced him.  
"No!!" he cried. "What did she do?" he gasped. "Is Lady Mia and Kiku all right?!" he exclaimed. Whiteblaze whined pitifully before blindly sniffing around. Cale could not stand to see him like this. "Listen to me old friend... Yuli is down the hall. Find your way to him and keep him company. Wait for Halo..." The beast padded away slowly, bumping into the corner before turning it. Cale spun on his heel to turn the final bend of the hallway.  
Mia was passed out in the middle of the doorway of Kiku and Yuli's shared room. Blood covered her blouse and this part of the hallway. He slid to her side and lifted her gently. There was a bad gash on her back and another on her leg. Mia murmured gently in her sleep and did not wake. Cale gasped helplessly as he lifted her into the hall out of the way, hoping that the others would get here quickly.  
A strained cry escaped his throat as he look inside what was left of the children's room...  
  
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Tori stumbled into the upstairs hallway, tripping on the last step. She pulled herself to her feet and gasped when she saw Yuli and Whiteblaze on the floor. Tori limped over to them. Yuli had fallen unconscious. Whiteblaze growled at her upon hearing her approach. The dark hallway didn't show her the injury until she kneeled beside them. "Oh, 'Blaze!" Tori whimpered and buried her face into the bloody fur. "You poor baby," she cried. She heard footsteps from down stairs and Ryo's voice. "TORI!!! CALE!"  
"Ryo!!" she cried, trying desperately not to fall in to frightened sobs. Short seconds seemed like minutes before he appeared at her side in the sub armor of the Inferno. "Blaze's hurt! Yuli's unconscious! I found them like this!"  
"Whiteblaze!!!!" Ryo gasped, seeing the bleeding gash where his only childhood companion's deep and beautiful brown eyes should have been. Whiteblaze seemed to cry out to him as Ryo buried his face into the fur of his neck. "B-blaze..." he cried. Tori pulled off her cloak and shredded it. She wrapped the mystical cloth around Whiteblaze's head, covering the hideousness of the wound. Ryo sobbed softly. Tori raced to her feet when she heard Lady Kayura approach. She flinched with a short sob upon hearing her scream of shock.  
Thundering down the hall, Tori found Mia and the remains of a shattered bedroom door. "MIA!" Tori knelt beside her and felt for her pulse. Finding one, she took the remains of her cloak and wrapped Mia's leg tightly. "Mia? Can you hear me? Mia-sama!" she exclaimed.  
"CALE! REKKA!!" Dais hollered. Anubis' voice was added to the horror of finding Whiteblaze and Yuli. She was grateful to hear Sage's voices among the chaos. "Dais!!! I'm down here!!" she called. A flash of orchid and ivory barreled down the hall toward them.  
"My lady!!" he exclaimed.  
"She's alive, just really beat up," Tori quavered. "Have you seen Cale?!" she exclaimed in near tears. Dais shook his head, speechless and pulled the frail woman to his chest. Locks of ivory spilled over his shoulder and seemed to shield Mia from anymore harm that might come.  
Tori heard a shuffling in the broken room and pulled herself to her feet slowly. Tori's eyes fell to the rug where shattered and splintered wood fragments cluttered the forest green floor. As dark as the color of the carpet was, she could still detect the blood staining the surface that was splattered all over the room. Even the walls were wet with the sticky fluid. It squished underneath her feet as she slowly entered the ruin. Splinters of wood from furniture jutted out from what was left of little mattresses as they laid in pieces across the room. Warm, fuzzy quilts that once covered the two children lay in shreds and soaked heaps of blood and wood. The walls were not quite dry. The ceiling fan hung by a sparking live wire from its base. It too was splattered with blood. Gentle wind chimes that hung outside the broken window were the only sound aside from the pandemonium down the hall, which had become muffled in her trepidation. Tori finally noticed Cale sitting in the midst of all the wreckage, utterly stunned. He sat still and frozen as he gaped blankly, but also in terror at a wall beside her. He didn't even acknowledge her presence. Slowly she turned her head to the blood-smeared wall:  
  
"... Awaken unto the nightmare..."  
  
At the bottom of it was Zeal's banner symbol, claiming her kill. Tori covered her mouth in realization. Kurai's seal was now broken, and it would be only a matter of time before he would return to power and challenge them for the throne of the gods. At the base of the cryptic warning, nailed to the wall by a large shard of glass, hung a pillowcase, soaked in blood. Whatever was in it filled it completely. The sides bulged with uneven lumps of unknown mass. Subconsciously, Tori stepped closer to it and attempted to remove it from the wall. She sliced her hand open on an edge as she ripped it free. The bag was still warm. The fan sparked wildly, causing her to drop the bag. The contents inside spilled out...  
Tori stumbled forward in horror and opened her mouth to scream. Her knees weakened. A pair of large arms caught her as her knees gave way. She stared down at it, refusing to move. A voice that sounded like Anubis' echoed in her ears, but nothing coherent came from it. Her back hitched suddenly and she vomited violently. She felt him pull back her hair and held her firmly to calm her. Her body quaked as she found that her curiosity rose over her fear. She found herself looking at the bag and what spilled out of it. A tiny, frail, mangled hand lay in the midst of unspeakable mass.  
Anubis cringed as a world-shattering scream finally formed in her throat...  
  
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Sekhmet shut the door softly. The sound of the doorknob latching made the warrior jump. Anubis, Ryo, and Sage waited patiently outside Lady Kayura and Tori's bedroom door.  
"How is she doing?" Sage asked softly.  
"... Rekka's catatonic," he said softly. "She won't move, speak... I don't even think she blinked more than a few times. There was no need to sedate her again... However," he paused and removed a bloody cloth from his back pocket. He opened it and showed them a pair of bloody scissors. The other three froze. "I found these beside her when I came to check on her. She's cut her arms and around her neck. I managed to bandage her up. Halo, you may still want to take a look at her." Sage nodded and entered the room quietly. They heard him greet Tori softly.  
"H-how long do you think this'll last?" Ryo asked in a broken voice. Sekhmet shrugged.  
"It's hard to say, Wildfire... I've seen cases like this from lasting to a day or even several years after a traumatic experience. This could be permanent..." Tears threatened to fall from Ryo's blue eyes as he nodded slowly. "C-can we see her? Maybe she'll come around if there's someone talking to her," he suggested softly. Anubis nodded in agreement.  
"It couldn't hurt, Sekhmet... It worked for Lady Kayura once." Sekhmet was silent and he stared at the younger man for a long while. He turned to Wildfire.  
"I guess it's worth a shot, but not until Dais and Halo are through with her." Ryo sniffled and folded his arms.  
"What are you? Her doctor?"  
"The best one around here, mind you," he snapped with a smirk. Anubis stood in the doorway and sighed.  
"I'll monitor the first watch."  
"What?" Sekhmet asked.  
"She shouldn't be left alone... not after what she had done to herself. Like you said, her catatonia can wear off at anytime," Anubis explained. Sekhmet re-pocketed the scissors. "I suppose that would be a wise course of action... I'll be with Torrent rounding up all the sharp objects in the house..."  
"I-I'll do it," Ryo spoke up. "I- I need something to do..." Sekhmet handed him the scissors and watched the youth practically run down the hall.  
"How's Whiteblaze?" Anubis asked.  
"... There is nothing we can do for him..." Anubis lowered his eyes with a sigh. He suddenly punched the wall.  
"Damn you, Zeal," he hissed, tears threatening to fall again for the eighth time in twelve hours. He needed sleep, badly.  
"Anubis?" Sekhmet called softly. The younger man turned to look at him with interest and also a great deal of shock. This was the first time in his life hearing kindness towards him from Sekhmet. "... I... have been thinking about what Rekka told me... She is right..." he said softly "Unfortunately..." Sekhmet stopped at the memory of Rekka's screams. Anubis said nothing and waited. "I... still don't know if I could ever forgive you, but..."  
"Sekhmet... I..." Anubis could not look him in the eye. "... Thank you."  
  
Tori opened her eyes slowly and felt a sharp pain in her neck. A warm hand cupped her cheek as she her eyes began to focus. Anubis was leaning over her with a gentle smile on his face. His clothes were different, indicating that she had been out for at least a day or so. "... Hi," he whispered.  
"... H-hi," she replied almost inaudibly. "Where... am I?"  
"You're in your room... You scared us for a little while," he explained softly and stroked her cheek with his thumb. Tori blinked sleepily.  
"... I can't remember anything very well... I remember fighting Yang and Talpa... And-"  
"Sh, sh, sh..." Anubis nodded with a sigh. "Don't strain yourself. Memory loss is a side effect. Sekhmet gave you some of his venom to make you sleep. You'll... remember everything in time, little one."  
"What time is it?" Anubis pulled back the sleeve of his dark purple shirt.  
"... Eight-thirty in the morning... You've been asleep for about three days." Tori's eyes widened and she sat up slowly. "What are you doing?" he protested. "You need to rest," he scolded gently. Tori swatted his arm lazily.  
"You said I've been sleeping for three days... I'll get bed sores if I don't get up." Anubis felt silent. Her brow furrowed slightly as she tried thinking back to the last things she could remember despite her better judgment. Anubis saw her lost expression change quickly to fear and sadness when she realized what had exactly occurred. Her eyes searched for his quickly and sorrowfully. They were glassy, asking a question that need not be voiced or answered. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks with a frightened expression as she darted out of bed before he could catch her. She heard him calling after her as she raced down the hall toward Yuli and Kiku's room.  
Anubis stopped in the middle of the hall as she saw her staring blankly into the ruin of the room. Cale had been in there everyday with anything he could use to restore some semblance of what the room was before. Anubis approached her slowly seeing Cale meet her at the doorway. "Sweetheart, you shouldn't be in here," Cale said softly. "There are live wires and the floor could fall out any moment," he explained futilely. Tori shook her head.  
"C-cale? Wh-where is Kiku? I-is she all right?" she asked in a shaken voice. A pang of sadness hit both warriors as denial sunk in. Cale shook his head.  
"You don't remember... My lady, your sister-"  
"She's downstairs with the others at breakfast right?" Midnight eyes watered gently with bronze ones. Cale shook his head sadly.  
"She's... she's gone, my lady. She's dead," he whispered softly. Tori pushed past him.  
"Kiku? Come on out!" she called in a shaky voice.  
"Rekka-" Anubis and Cale followed her inside. Tori stopped before the wall where the cryptic message was.  
"Kiku?... K-kiku?" she started in a soft breath. She jumped when Anubis laid a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him. "I..." Teal eyes watered silently, running slow trickles down his strong face. Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to scream. Loosing all strength in her legs, she sank to the carpet. Anubis caught her gently, falling to the floor with her. A muffled and long wail left her throat as she collapsed to tears. Anubis leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, rocking her broken form slowly unable to control himself. "Little one..." She buried her face into his chest with a whimper. "Shh... shh," he hushed and folded his arms around her shaking form. "I know... I know," he cried softly. He looked up at Cale sadly for once wishing rather selfishly that he was that emotionless warlord once more. He could tell by the look in Cale's eyes that he was not alone in that feeling.  
  
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Yuli closed the large book slowly when he saw that Whiteblaze had finally fallen asleep. He could feel the deep, snore-like purr vibrating against his back. It was all he did lately: sleep or let Yuli read to him. He couldn't see, but he could still imagine. Zeal didn't take that away from him, and he'd be damned if he'd let her. Mia had given Whiteblaze a new bandanna to wear over his eyes. Sage had managed to restore the eyes, but not the sight. For now, they could only wait and see if his body would heal or if the damage was permanent.  
"Think it's a good idea, Ryo?" Kento asked. "You've seen what this Kurai can do. There's a three-hundred foot crater in the woods!" Yuli slipped away from the sleeping cat and peeked into the kitchen.  
"... Yeah, I know... If it's as bad as it seems, then it won't matter where we are. The barrier Kayura made is gone now. The telemarketers saw to that this morning. As of today it's... Friday the eighteenth. Three days after we brought them here... They have to go back or people will talk and all this other crap," Ryo replied. "Besides, we're low on supplies... clothing for that matter. After that I'm down to one pair of jeans..."  
"What do we tell the others? This won't go over well with Dais and the others. Where ever we go, they'll follow and we can't put anyone else in danger!" Sai exclaimed letting the sadness of Kiku's death flow back down his face. Kento put an arm around Torrent's shoulder.  
"I say we go... Clear their heads. It'll be good for them and for us. If the others don't like it they can stay behind," Rowen said.  
"And just where would we stay?" Sage asked.  
"I've got that apartment in downtown Shinjuku, remember?"  
"No."  
"Yes, you do! You know the one where you made it with that hot chick AND her twin sister!" he laughed. Sage blushed.  
"How many times do I have to tell you that I was FORCED!?"  
"Right, right. You were forced in and out, over and over, and OVER! Oh Saaage!" Rowen continued, voice escalating loudly before an elbow to the side cut him off. "OW."  
"Careful, Ro," Kento began. "If Domo hears that about good old Halo here, she might get the wrong idea," he grinned.  
"She has a boyfriend," Sage snapped with a blush.  
"So?!"  
"So I'm NOT like that! I have morals, Kento. You should try them some time!"  
"Dude, that was so not cool."  
"All right, all right..." Ryo spat. "Cool it... Let's just go see what the girls say about this, okay?"  
  
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Mia stepped outside, following the path down to the large flower garden's gate. She opened it slowly. The wildflowers she, Dais, Cale, and Anubis planted last year were finally starting to grow back. The chrysanthemums were all ready in full bloom over the span of three days. It was a rather odd miracle to see anything bloom after the harsh weather they had been having. Bending down to pick some, she continued to follow the stone path into the back of the garden overlooking the lake. Long ivory locks blew gently into the breeze as Dais stood by not one, but now two stone obelisks. One made of a white marble, the other, the smaller one, a lovely pale pink. Dais turned his head to her silently before looking back down at the inscriptions he and Cale had intricately carved upon the newest addition. "... Good morning," he whispered softly.  
"It is a lovely morning. I was beginning to forget what it felt like," Mia said. She bent down and laid the small flowers at the bases of the graves. Tears flooded her vision as she stood again. "... Why Dais? What harm did a little innocent child do to Talpa?" she quavered. Dais slipped an arm around her and pulled her against his chest.  
"... Nothing I say will make you feel better, my lady..." Mia rested her head at the base of his neck, taking in the calming scent of summer rain he always smelled like. She looked down at the inscription written in a language she did not recognize. "What does it say?"  
"... It's in the language from the region where Cale was born: 'Give us your tiny hand... We shall feel its warmth of being... ageless beyond the stars... Always...'" Mia sniffled sadly.  
"Cale wrote that?"  
"Aye..." A gentle breeze blew through the leaves of the large sakura trees. Pink petals rained down on them. It felt like the entire garden was thriving. Everyone was amazed when the sun actually shined the morning after the battle. They were even more so when life was actually returning to the quiet woods.  
Dais ran his fingertips through Mia's hair gently as they just stood against one another, watching the breeze on the lake and enjoying the peacefulness. He lifted his head from hers slowly. Turning to the gate from where she came suddenly he scanned the entire garden. "Dais? What's wrong?" The wind chimes at the gate sounded gently in the wind.  
"N-nothing... I... thought I heard something... It was just the wind chimes."  
"Lady Kayura bought them a few weeks back before all this started... They kind of sound like Shakujo, don't they?" she said.  
"... That they do, my lady..."  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = A/N: ::dodges many many flaming bomb like things:: ACK! Sorry! God, throw in some suspense and angst and people just 'S' all over you. ::weep:: I'll bounce back with the funnies soon. ::raises eyebrows up and down:: Hmm, a two some with Sage... Oh, the possibilities. 'Sun is warm, grass is green'... ah, memories. Oh, the titles of these three chapters has to do with Kiku's name. Her name is chrysanthemum in Japanese. 


	29. A Small Measure of Peace

Disclaimer: I do not own Godzilla or Pop Tarts. Wish I had some of that pastry goodness though. Buuut I can't. Mom says I'm fat. Aren't mommies SO nice?! ::grumbles::  
  
"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"  
By Onikage  
  
Scroll Twenty-Nine: A Small Measure of Peace  
  
"So... Kiku and the Ancient were the same person," Mia realized, lowering her eyes. "It is no wonder Tori can't recall the first three years very well." Anubis nodded.  
"No, my lady. Kiku and Kaos were separate being, but their souls shared the same power... He told me... long ago that he saved a young girl from the raid four years ago. Her parents were dead on the spot... He buried her memories and used a lock of her own hair and the power of Shakujo to create Kiku. She is Tori's sister in a sense..."  
"Why do you suppose he did that?"  
"I suppose he thought that Talpa would never suspect a baby as part of that seal Kaos trapped him with..."  
"How did Tori take the news?" Mia asked as she continued to fold the laundry.  
"... She all ready knew that her parents were dead... That part she remembered on her own... She didn't say anything when I told her about Kiku." Anubis fell silent and stopped folding, arms growing tense.  
"... You care about her a lot, don't you?" she asked. Anubis flushed heavily.  
"... I just... Her resemblance to Zeal is frightening. My body doesn't know whether to hate her or..."  
"Just remember that she's not Zeal... She deserves at least that..."  
"Just what are you trying to say, my lady?" Mia lifted the basket with a smile.  
"You're a man, Anubis... I don't have to say anything..." Anubis felt his cheeks grow hot.  
  
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"Wildfire, no," Sekhmet replied flatly. Ryo frowned.  
"Why the hell not?!" he demanded.  
"Do I really have to tell you?" Sekhmet asked in an annoyed tone. Ryo frowned again.  
"Yes!!" Cale rolled his eyes.  
"It's obvious, boy... Kurai is free. What the hell are we supposed to do if he starts playing Godzilla in Tokyo Bay? If we separate at any time now, we'll be, as you say: 'sitting ducks'..." Rowen blinked.  
"No more Godzilla for you, man..."  
"He's right," Dais agreed. "Talpa did it." Sai finished loading the dishwasher.  
"But he can't be at full strength right now. He's been trapped since th' dawn of humanity. I think we should get some kind of R&R before he unzips Hell upon us," he suggested.  
"Yeah," Sage interjected. "We haven't had any kind of rest since we all arrived here. It's been training morning, noon, and night. If we don't calm down for awhile, it won't be just Hell that gets unzipped."  
"I dunno, man... He is 'the man'," Kento said. "He could turn us all into worm food with a blink of an eye... Or worse!"  
"Like destroying the universe?" Rowen pointed out. "Hey I thought you were all for this?!" Kento waved off his comment.  
"No, no Pop Tarts! Those were the only things keeping me going when we fought Talpa! I AM with you guys. I'm just saying that what Cale 'n' Dais say makes sense."  
"Pop Tarts?" Rowen repeated.  
"You retard..." Ryo laughed.  
"Come on, Kento! Don't you want to live a little before it's too late?" Rowen baited. Kento looked thoughtful.  
"Well, maybe... but splitting up? Nah, I think I'll have to go with Magic Man on this one. Sorry Blue-boy. I'll go, you guys are lost without me anyway... And I'm NOT retarded!!" he snapped.  
"Okay... What happens when we unload the power of the gods and they freak out? We're going to need level heads from everyone in order to put Kurai back in his hole," Sage said, "and I think some of the others are pretty shaky upstairs if you catch my meaning," he added.  
"Might as well go out with a big bang, huh?" Kayura murmured, growing to like the idea. Dais growled.  
"Okay, that's four for 'nay' and five for 'yay'..." Sage sighed.  
"I know you guys don't think it's a smart idea, but... you're right. It IS important that we stick together on this, but Ryo and the others have a point: we need to chill for a little bit." Kayura hugged Sai from behind and ran her hands across his slender yet broad chest.  
"You just wanna little kissy-kissy time with Korin, don't you?" Sage's face reddened and he scrambled away from her.  
"Hey! I'm not Rowen, you know!" Kayura giggled and grabbed the front of his belt. "What? Is your libido broken, or something? Why not?!" she asked.  
"Yeah, man... Babe gave me a semi when she came out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel this mornin'. Hot damn," Kento grinned.  
"Kento!" Sai hissed.  
"Whaat?" he laughed. Sage tore Kayura's hand away from him.  
"My libido is fine, thank you," he snipped.  
"Oh, so you do think she's hot?" Ryo grinned.  
"What? No! I mean-- I don't know what I mean! Stop turning my words around!"  
"Dude! Your face is so freaking red, man!" Kento laughed.  
"It is not!" Sage flustered. He slammed his fist down on the counter. Silence. Sage rarely ever lost his temper. He sat slowly and cleared his throat. "... Look. I agree that she's cute, but she's involved."  
"And?!" Sekhmet laughed. Sage growled and stood quickly.  
"When are you people going to get it through your heads that I am not like that?!" he snapped, leaving the room soon after. Kayura sighed dreamily.  
"Oh dear... I think our little Halo is in love!"  
The door to the kitchen opened and Mia entered. Dais and Cale straightened almost immediately. "What's wrong with Sage?"  
"He's in loooooooove!" Rowen grinned, leaning on the back of the kitchen chair.  
"Ah, Domo again," Mia replied, not in the least bit surprised.  
"Again?!" Ryo and Rowen sputtered. Mia nodded.  
"Yes, again. And that's all I'm saying," she snapped. "It's bad enough you all hound the poor guy because he's more... proper than the rest of you! He's a gentleman compared to some of you! You all should take notes. You two especially." She indicated to Rowen and Kento.  
"US!?"  
"Yes, you..." She started pulling out things from the freezer for dinner. "Just leave him alone from now on, okay? It's bad enough for him that she's got a boyfriend."  
"Dude, man. That's gotta suck. Not being able to tell her, wondering if she'll even give him a second glance... One-sided love sucks..." Kento said softly. "... Glad I don't have that problem!" Kento suddenly beamed.  
"KENTO!" Mia hissed. Ryo rolled his eyes.  
"I'd say you got a five letter problem."  
"What?"  
"D-A-D-D-Y," Ryo spelled.  
"... Ah, crap."  
"Cale?" Kayura began. "What's the matter? You've gotten all quiet." Cale's cheeks heated faintly as he glanced at Mia.  
  
"Dais!! Stop it!" Mia laughed, trying to retrieve the box of recipes from him. He kept making it disappear behind his back, literally. Mia frowned. "Dais, so help me, you'll be living off a strict diet of cat food if you don't give me back my box!" she snapped playfully.  
"But, my lady... it's been behind you the whole time," he replied innocently, with a sly smirk. Mia looked over her shoulder and frowned.  
"I hate it when you do that," she said with an embarrassed blush.  
  
Cale's midnight eyes narrowed. "Nothing, Kayura... I've got work to do."  
"Cale! Wait a minute! I'm not done talking to you!"  
"Go talk to a wall," he growled and pushed the kitchen door open with a slam. Mia jumped.  
"What was that all about?" she asked. Kayura frowned giving her no reply. She and Cale would talk later. Of course, there was going to be a little less talking and more throwing of punches. And she had just finished her nails too.  
"Want me to go tell the loves? Sakura's gonna be so happy!" Sai exclaimed with a smile. He couldn't believe that they were actually going to go.  
"Yeah, go ahead," Dais grinned. Sai nearly jumped out of the stool.  
"Hey, buddy!" Kento called. Sai caught himself in the door way before falling flat on his face. Kento grinned mischievously.  
"Our bathroom, medicine cabinet, top shelf, right hand side," Kento directed. A mahogany eyebrow piqued in slight confusion. Kento sighed. "Hey man, unless you want little versions of you and or Sakura running around here in about nine months you should take the proper precautions." Sai's cheeks flared before frowning darkly.  
"You're so crude, sometimes."  
"ME?! Who found the hole in the fence in the baths out back?! AND refused to tell us about it for a month!?" Kayura's head snapped up from flipping through the cards of recipes. Sai wisely escaped...  
"WHAT HOLE?" she demanded. Kento froze... along with the other non- females in the room. Kento turned. Many (plus one half) pairs of eyes glared darkly at him. He eyed the spatula in Mia's hand carefully, but Kento was more worried about the large knife block that Kayura had spotted.  
"Um... Ah shit."  
  
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"You're leaving?!" Anubis exclaimed. Tori nodded silently as she folded her clothes into her suitcase. "For how long?"  
"... Three days," she whispered. "It's Ryo's idea. Please don't be angry-"  
"I'm NOT!" he snapped. Tori flinched. Anubis turned away. "It's not safe. What if Zeal comes after you again? I'm not going to be there to-"  
"I'm not a child, Anubis!" Tori shouted. Anubis jumped. It was the first time she had raised her voice in a week. "I didn't ask for you to watch over me!! I don't care if she comes after me... I 'hope' she does," she finished inside a growl. She flounced over to her dresser and snatched the jeweled kansashi. She fingered the sharp pointed accessory with a glare before pinning her hair back with it. "The next time I see her I-"  
"Let me take care of Zeal."  
"Why should I?! She didn't rip your sister apart and paint the walls with her insides!!" she screamed.  
"She'll kill you!" he shouted back, snatching her wrist a little too roughly.  
"I don't care!!!" she screamed back. "Better than staying here!!" She let out a soft sob as she yanked free her wrist and went back to packing. She stopped and another wave of tears came. Anubis felt a stab of guilt.  
"... Little one," he began softly, "she is deadlier than Kayura... I don't want you getting hurt again. Your grandfather would turn over in his grave if I let you charge into the mouth of Hell because that's what you'll be doing if you think you can defeat her!" he exclaimed. Tori felt a strong hand on her shoulder. The calming effect it should have had was not present. "I'll avenge Kiku for both of us..." he added in a less than threatening voice. He moved against her back and slipped his arms around her shaking form. "Shh..." She turned slowly and gripped his shirt, crying softly.  
"... She was only four..."  
"Shh. I know..." He buried his nose into her hair. The familiar scent of jasmine tickled his nose and he breathed a shuddering sigh at the memory.  
  
= "Anubis!! NO!" Dais exclaimed, blocking the man from entering through the sliding chamber door. "You... you do not want to go in there," Dais whispered softly.  
"Let me pass! Where is she!?" Anubis shouted.  
"She's DEAD, Anubis!!" he shouted. Anubis stiffened eyes wide. He shook his head.  
"N-no. Y-you're lying..."  
"She's dead, Anubis..."Cale interjected.  
"NO!" Anubis shoved Cale aside and delivered a punch to Dais' cheek before tearing the door open. He stopped dead. Zeal lay limp on her bed with one arm draped over the side and a shattered vile of poison on the stone floor. Her eyes were open and empty. Blood seeped from her lips like a slow fountain. It trickled out over her chin and pooled in the hollowed the area above her collarbone and then soaking into the soft feather mattress that he and she shared. A path of blood led from the baths and on to the bed where she had collapsed. Anubis stooped over to her beside and lifted the woman into his arms, cradling her gently. Tears started from his lashes as he buried his face into her hair sobbing softly. "... My little one... shh... Everything will be all right, Zeal... "=  
  
"Shh... Everything will be all right, Zeal..." he whispered aloud, tears threatening to fall again. He felt Tori rip herself away from him.  
"W-what did you call me?" she demanded. His eyes widened as soon as he realized the name that left his lips.  
"I... I called you, Tori." With an angry cry she backhanded him. Angry bronze eyes stared up at him sadly and full of shock.  
"... You bastard... How DARE you mistake me for that... that demon- witch!?!" she shouted. She tore her eyes away and shoved past him. "Good GOD! Can you at least for one SECOND not think about HER?! My sister is DEAD!! And all you can think about is..." she stopped, too angry to even finish.  
"Tori, I-" His speech was cut off as Tori ripped the kansashi out of her hair and threw it at him. It grazed his cheek, drawing a long slit of blood before it stilled in the now shattered mirror of her vanity. "Next time I won't miss... Ju-just... s-stay away from me..." she snarled and left the room, slamming the door behind her. She broke off into a run down the hall, bumping into Ryo as he climbed the stairs.  
"Huh? Tori, what's wrong?!" he called.  
"Nothing!!" she cried. Looked back to her room as he heard the door open. Anubis stepped out. Ryo pivoted on his heel and ran after her, finally catching up to her in the empty living room. He snatched her wrist. "What happened?!" he demanded. Tori's knees buckled and she fell against his chest sobbing.  
"I'm not Zeal... I'm not Z-zeal... I'm no-o-oot," she fell into sobs. Ryo's eyes widened as he folded his arms around her, figuring out what might have happened.  
"It's okay... I know you're not..." he told her over and over.  
He sighed heavily realizing that three days may not be enough...  
  
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Domo set down her bags as she looked inside of Kiku and Yuli's old room. For now, the boy would be staying in Kaos' old room until it was safer. Cale was still at work pulling up the carpet. That was ruined, but the hardwood floor beneath it was all right with the exception of a few spots where they had been ripped up. She knocked on the doorframe. He looked up and stood straight. "Something you need, my lady?"  
"We're leaving soon... Need anything from the outside world?"  
"Some decent saké wouldn't hurt," he grunted pulling back more of the carpet. Domo smirked.  
"I'll get you some... I know a guy. Got some great stuff..." Cale's eyebrows rose.  
"I never took you as a drinker, Korin."  
"... I'm not that bad. I know when to stop. It calms me down. Is there anything else you need?" Cale shook his head.  
"Nothing that you can buy, Korin..." he said softly. Domo saw his eyes tear again and touched his arm. She leaned up and kissed his cheek gently. Cale's eyes widened. "What was that for?"  
"... Kiku. She... I know you really cared about her like she needed." Cale looked away.  
"Just trying to right a wrong from so many years ago..."  
"Huh?"  
"... I lost something precious to me once... Kiku reminded me of that. Now that she's gone I... feel like I've failed them again," he murmured. Domo peered at him closely. "W-what?"  
"Nothing. You just... remind me of Sage." Cale frowned.  
"Why?"  
"Oh, you're offended?" she laughed. "Your eyes... They're hard and cold, but I can tell that you both have a deep compassion for life. It's weird. He's like your alter ego..." Cale rolled his eyes.  
"He's the lighter side... The girls tend to favor the darker," he smirked.  
"Oh?" Domo cocked an eyebrow. "Why is that?"  
"Bring back that saké and I'll show you," he smirked darkly. Domo's eyes widened.  
"... I thought you liked Mia." Cale blushed heavily, his dark grin turning into a look of embarrassment that was all too cute.  
"How can you tell?!"  
"Oh, gee I dunno... Maybe it's the way you call her Lady Mia? Or why you are ALWAYS volunteering to do dishes when she's in the kitchen doing them, and then there's that look you get when she's just had a shower and you get all 'booby booby, YAY!' when she's in a towel looking for her clothes in the laundry room."  
"Okay, okay!! I was just kidding about that saké crack..."  
"Well, does she know you love her?"  
"N-no..."  
"Tell her!"  
"HOW?" he frowned. Domo shrugged and turned to go.  
"Use that dark charm of yours... If I wasn't taken all ready, I may have just taken you up on that offer..." Cale's mouth dropped open as she slinked out of the room.  
  
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Nasake pulled the zipper of her duffel bag closed and hefted it over her shoulder. She was thankful that they weren't driving back and that Dais was nice enough to let them use a portal to have enough time to try and relax. Although after what happened earlier with Tori and Anubis, three days may not even be enough to even crack the tip of the iceberg. There was a soft knock at her door.  
"Want some help?" Rowen asked. Nasake turned to look at him, then turned back to packing.  
"No. I'm done," she whispered with a soft blush. Rowen ignored her reply and lifted the heavier bag full of books. "Rowen! I said I got it!" she frowned as he started out the door. He stopped and turned to look over his shoulder.  
"I know... But I don't feel so useless now," he whispered, tears blinding his vision. His eyes were still red from crying. His own family was all ready split from death, and he had been helpless to stop it. Now he felt that it was happening all over again. The signs... He should have realized who Kiku really was when she had been displaying all sorts of weird powers: her slight healing, the intelligence of this child, the resemblance to Kaos...  
Nasake lowered her eyes and met Rowen at the door. She slipped her arms around him and pulled him close. He let the bag drop as she buried her face into his jacket. His arms folded around her slowly. The scent of strawberries tickled his nose and found himself reaching up to touch the soft sapphire strands. Nasake gasped. "S-sorry," she breathed and pulled away sharply as she felt his hands in her hair. Rowen sniffled and nodded sadly.  
"S'okay... Let's get you home," he whispered. He picked up her bag and followed her. His mind kept replaying that moment over and over in his head. Her actions were strange, like she was afraid of being touched.  
  
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"Do you all have everything you need?" Dais asked. They all nodded silently. Ryo set his bag down as he saw Yuli leading Whiteblaze to them. His eyes misted as he embraced the beast gently. "Keep them safe, 'Blaze. I'm counting on you. We'll find a way to restore your sight..." A low whine left Whiteblaze and he licked his face.  
"Come back soon, Ryo," Yuli said.  
"We'll be back as soon as we can, guys," Ryo replied.  
"Yeah," Sakura said as she gave everyone a farewell hug. "We really appreciate it," she added. She stepped to Sekhmet. He was still angry. "... Don't worry, Sekkie. Suiko tells me that it'll get hot soon... We'll be back prancing around in bikinis for you soon!" she beamed, blushing slightly. She heard Sai sputter in disgust. Sekhmet continued to frown, refusing to look at her. Usually that would have made him laugh. Sakura sighed heavily and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.  
Again Sai sputtered.  
The warrior frowned further, but a light blush stained his pale cheeks. He gave her a hard glare, then suddenly winked slyly with a smirk. She smiled and returned to Sai to calm him down.  
Mia came rushing outside with a small handful. "Wait a minute!" she breathed. "Tori? Can you get these developed for me?"  
"Huh? S-sure, Mia."  
"Be careful with them. They're all the pictures I've taken since you have started living here," Mia smiled sadly. Tori nodded. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Anubis approaching her. "... Tori?" he began. She frowned. The blush of shame stained his cheeks and did not meet her eyes. "I... I'm sorry..." he whispered. Tori stayed silent and looked away, eyes misting slightly from anger and hurt. She stiffened and blushed heavily as he cupped her cheeks in his hands and pulled himself close. He leaned down and kissed her forehead gently. He ignored the smart remarks from the others. "Come back safely," he whispered against her ear and turned quickly back to the others. Lifting her bag she retreated to the side, not saying another word to anyone. Domo went over to her, but Tori turned away, wanting to be alone.  
"Ryo?" Kayura began shyly. He tore his eyes from Tori.  
"Oh, hey..."  
"... Watch your back," she murmured.  
"Huh?"  
"... I have a bad feeling about this." She lowered her eyes. "Just be careful. Please?" Ryo smiled softly.  
"Sure..." Kayura looked up at him briefly before clutching his shoulders gently and giving him a soft kiss. His eyes went wide and he blushed furiously. Again the smart remarks followed. Kayura pulled away with a heavy blush and retreated to Anubis' side. Ryo swallowed hard. Dais rolled his eyes.  
"Are there any more sweet goodbyes?" he laughed. He opened a portal. "Hurry. Get to the other side. I don't want any sudden rifts between dimensions if you get lost in there. " One by one they entered the gateway. Tori turned to look back at them. Yuli waved happily. She saw Anubis' sad eyes and stopped.  
"C'mon, Tori... We need to go," Ryo said. Tori nodded wordlessly before they disappeared.  
Kayura clutched the staff in her hands as she watched the portal close behind them. She felt Whiteblaze nudge her arm with a low whine. She reached down and stroked the fur behind his ears. She stared into the now open space where the Ronins and the others disappeared. "I know, old friend... I hope so too," she whispered. Anubis put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him with a most knowing look. She reached up and touched the slash over his left cheekbone. "... It doesn't hurt," he said to her.  
"She was really upset, you know," she said. Anubis sighed. "Would you assist me with this?" she asked, gesturing to the staff. Anubis gripped it in his hands, feeling the familiar power return to him. "... I would be honored," he whispered.  
  
"Think they'll be all right, Cale?" Mia asked as he placed an arm around her. He sighed.  
"I hope so, my lady..."  
"How is the room going?" she asked as she watched Anubis and Lady Kayura concentrating on the barrier spell.  
"... Fine, but... It needs a woman's touch," he smirked. Mia blushed lightly.  
  
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Zeal peered into the throne room from the doors with a few soldiers at her side. Word spread around quickly that Fou-Lu was actually Kurai. What was even more interesting was that Talpa wasn't exactly in charge anymore.  
  
"... Master Kurai, you are still weary from your transformation. Please rest and I shall keep an eye on the Ronins for you. They are heading back into their precious city, you know..." Kurai leaned back against the throne tiredly. Talpa was right. It was even hard to breathe. His body had not yet grown accustomed to his dark powers. He was practically gasping for air. "N- no..." he heaved and lifted his hand to send him away, but passed out from exhaustion. Talpa smirked.  
(So much for the great Kurai... This was a waste of my time...) He stooped over and lifted the Guardian of Darkness into his arms. "Badamon!!"  
  
A gust of wind shot through the giant chamber and in a wisp of dark flames, the old priest appeared.  
"You summoned me?"  
"Take Master Kurai. See that he regains his strength..." Badamon bowed slowly.  
"At once..." The two vanished and Talpa sighed.  
A deep chuckle rose from the shadows. "Shall I go for you, sire?"  
"Yes, go... He won't be awake for a good while... Don't forget what I told you!" he snapped, touching the newest scar on his chest.  
"Of course not..." Talpa closed his eyes and when he opened them he appeared inside a smaller chamber. A frail figure sat at the window, just staring out at the deep purple sea several miles away. He removed his mask and tossed it on the bed. "... Well, you got what you wanted..." she said softly.  
"Yes... I suppose," he murmured and kissed her hair. She flinched at it.  
"I want no more part in this. I want to return to my home," she said sternly.  
"Your home is nothing but a pile of rubble," he spat. "I am all you have, Managi." Managi's gold eyes narrowed and she tore herself from the window.  
"Get out."  
"You 'dare' order me around?" he chuckled. Managi snarled.  
"Why not? You're no longer Emperor... I do as I please," she hissed, disrobing and her armored body forming around her. Talpa snatched her by the hair.  
"I gave you life again. I can easily take it from you."  
"You should save face and do the honorable thing and take your own life. You think you frighten me now? I welcome death as much as you fear it," she hissed. Talpa's bleak blue eyes flashed red.  
"Do not tempt me, my love." Managi snarled and rammed a hidden dagger into his side. Talpa released her and hissed, ripping the blade out. When he looked up she was gone. He snarled and shattered the mirror on the other side of the room. Soon a deep chuckle filled the room and echoed loudly through the corridors.  
  
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Mia frowned with a sigh. She should have asked some of the girls to go shopping for bedroom designs and new furniture while they were out. She closed the linen closet after removing two sets of white sheets. "I guess these will have to do for now," she sighed and made her way to the bedroom to help Cale. He had just finished relaying the floor with parts of it from the veranda. The porch could wait for now. Mia cocked her head. "... We'll just cover up the wood with a rug or something," she said. Mahogany colored pine lay side by side with a pale blue. It was an interesting combination to say the least.  
"I needed the wood... Sekhmet says that the porch will take weeks to fix." Mia sat on one of the new beds that Dais had repaired. The other, Kiku's, had to be replaced entirely. Mia was lucky that she still had the small bed she used to sleep in as a little girl down stairs in the cellar. She sighed heavily. "I remember my father and grandfather building that porch... I was only about five or six... We used to have parties out on that porch. My sister and her husband were married out in the garden here... 'Jiisan said that it would last a million marriage parties..." She sighed heavily. Cale fell silent. He didn't know what to say. It then came to him. He sat beside her and touched her hair.  
"... When I was a boy of about... eight, I remember a little dock that my father and grandfather were building. When it was finished, my little brother and I would spend the day fishing from it or just jumping into the lake... We did that for the longest time... One day... I was now... eighteen... our village was attacked by an invading army."  
"Talpa?"  
"... No... Not yet anyway... That army destroyed everything... my home, some of my friends, and that dock... They left the next morning... I was truly upset that they burned just one dock out of several... of course I was more upset about loosing the ones I cared about too, but it was that dock that stuck in my mind... And then my grandfather told me something I will never forget: '... Things burn, people die... but it is the memory of them that makes them last forever. Rebuild the dock... Neither the fish nor you will care about the difference... you'll be too busy making new memories...'... So you see... what material things you have may be gone, but not what you have here and here, my lady," Cale smiled, indicating to her forehead and heart with a gentle touch of this hand. Mia smiled tearfully.  
"... That makes me feel better, Cale," she smiled. "Thank you." She stood smiling and lifted a sheet to start dressing the bed. "Come on and help me put this on!" she smiled. Cale nodded and silently helped her spread the sheet evenly across the mattress. He glanced up at her and swallowed.  
"My lady... I ... need to tell you something," he murmured. Mia didn't look up from covering the pillows with their new cases.  
"What, Cale? Did you break something?"  
"N-no!" He stepped around the bed and stopped her from her work. "Just listen... please..." Mia nodded slowly, realizing the closeness of him. She swallowed hard. "... When we were out there a few days ago, Zeal told us that she killed one of you three here... and... all I could think about was... if she had meant you and what I was feeling..." He lifted her eyes. "... I have never been more scared in my entire life... When I learned that it was Kiku, I... it broke my heart... I don't know what I would do if you had been killed too," he whispered. "... I want to tell you this before it's too late and Zeal comes after you again..." He leaned down and gently closed his mouth over Mia's pale pink mouth. He stiffened slightly, waiting for a sharp blow that was to come... It didn't. Instead soft, slender fingers slid their way up his chest, gripping the fabric of his shirt helplessly. A soft whimper escaped some how from her throat as she parted her mouth, timidly returning the notion. Sword calloused hands cradled her face gently as he slid his tongue past her lips to meet with her own. Another moan rose to her lips before Cale swallowed it. He slid one strong arm around her waist just before she fell weak at the knees. He held her against him as he lifted his head. Dark midnight eyes looked lovingly into almost frightened and shy teal ones. He reached up with his free hand and stroked her rosy cheek with the back of it. "... I love you, my lady," he whispered softly. Teal eyes went wide as he released her. He slid his hands down her arms and to hers. She didn't look at him, she just stared the ridiculously colored floor. He leaned his lips against her ear.  
"Please, say something," he begged in a whisper.  
"... I... that makes me happy, Cale," she began softly. "I... no one's every told that to me before," she finished.  
"Then you won't mind if I say it again?" he asked still against her ear. Mia said nothing. She looked up at him, tears threatening to fall. "Oh, my lady," he smiled, "please don't cry. I am sorry if I offended you," he said softly, disappointment in his voice. He dried her cheeks with his thumbs. She shook her head quickly. "I-It's not that... I..." She lowered her eyes and tried to stop herself from crying. She promised herself a year ago that she wouldn't let it upset her again... That promise fell to the floor and splashed to nothing. Cale felt a deep-rooted pain suddenly surface from within her. He could always sense what others were feeling. It was a gift that his clan had long ago...  
He could sense love, hate, desire, anger, and fear among other emotions... His heart ripped when he sensed overwhelming fear from her... because of him. He released his touch immediately and backed away slightly. "... Forgive me," he said softly. "I did not mean to scare you... I... won't say it ever again, if it does." Mia looked up quickly.  
"... N-no... It's not you at all... I... Someone hurt me a long time ago..." Cale nodded slowly. Her trust had been shattered along with her heart. "... It made me feel better, Cale," she added softly. "But, I-"  
  
"Lady Mia? I need your assis... tance," Sekhmet started, but stopped in the doorway. He saw Mia's tears, growing concerned. Women in distress. His only weakness. "My lady? Are you all right?" he asked. Mia dried her eyes quickly and nodded.  
"What do you need help with, Sekhmet?"  
"I... uh... the oven is emitting a dark cloud... U-um-" A loud shrill beep filled the house.  
  
"SEKHMET, YOU IDIOT!" Kayura shouted, coughing.  
"WHO PUT POTHOLDERS IN THE OVEN?!" Anubis exclaimed. Sekhmet scratched the back of his head as Mia rushed out of the room.  
"Why did you put potholders in the oven?" Cale asked.  
"They got wet. I was trying to dry them off." Cale just shook his head. Sekhmet ignored the angry snarls from Kayura and blinked. "You TOLD her, didn't you?" The warrior of darkness slumped his shoulders.  
"Is it THAT fucking obvious?"  
"... I had my suspicions... Everything came into place when I sensed heavy... 'emotion' radiating from the two of you... like you've both been-"  
"Yes, I kissed her!" Cale snapped. His face fell. "... But..."  
"But what?"  
"I don't know if you have noticed, but... there is something very wrong with her. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but I know that someone broke her heart long ago and I think I just made her feel worse." Sekhmet nodded slowly.  
"She has been a little out of sorts since our last trip into the city... Listen, I'd better head downstairs and-"  
  
"SEKHMET!!" Kayura yelled.  
  
"I hate cooking," Sekhmet groaned. He turned on his heel and left before Cale started asking all the wrong questions. The man was too damn close to the truth. Torrent and Hardrock would kill him if he opened his mouth, but that didn't compare to the repercussions of what would happen if he did.  
  
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A/N: Sage is in looove. Cale's in loooove. What's Ronin to do? Thanks so much for the review! (You know who you are!) Ja na! 


	30. Party At My House!

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"  
By Onikage  
  
Scroll Thirty: Party At My House!!!  
  
(A some what filler... but... at the request of a friend... ENJOY!)  
  
"Ewww!" Kento shuddered and shook out his hair. "I'm allll weeet!" he whined.  
"Quit whining, man. We all are!" Rowen snapped. "Ugh... Cold's not good on the lower extremities."  
"Not like your going to use them later anyway," Sage miffed. Rowen slugged him in the arm. Kento growled.  
"You sure know how to pick 'em, Ryo," he said angrily.  
"What are you bitching about now, Kento?" Ryo retorted with a frown as he pulled off his rain soaked clothing.  
"Leave it to a half-ancient to leave us all stranded in the middle of Tokyo, miles away from Tori's place or Rowen's for that matter in the pouring rain!"  
"Hey!! She can't help that! It's not her fault and you know it!!" Ryo snapped and advanced on Kento.  
"Oh really?!"  
"Guys! Cut it out! There's nothing we can do about it now!" Sai snapped. He pulled the two apart. "WHAT the hell is your problem, Kento?!"  
  
"YOU BOYS BETTER BE STRIPPIN' AND NOT FIGHTING!!" Tori called angrily from the kitchen. Sai and Ryo jumped nervously.  
"Her highness sounds pissed," Kento frowned and peeled off his jeans and flung them into the dryer. He dug into his bag for dry clothing, falling silent. A bright pink something caught his eye by his foot.  
"What time is it?" Sai yawned and pulled off his shirt.  
"... Almost... ah hell if I know. It's dark!" Rowen said gruffly. Sai frowned.  
"Why is everyone so damn testy all of a sudden?!" he snapped.  
"SOME of us don't like frozen balls, you retard!" Rowen snapped after quickly stripping down to nothing. Ryo raised an eyebrow at Rowen.  
"Shrinkage is a bitch, huh?"  
"Shut it... Where the hell is my underwear?!" Something soft hit him in the face. He growled and inspected the object before blushing furiously at the pink and white little pigs smiling up at him happily. "Hey, after that cold shower you had, they're a perfect fit!" Kento laughed. Rowen shuddered and jumped away throwing them back at him. "Relax. They're not dirty," he laughed and put them back into the clothes hamper beside them. Rowen searched for a towel to dry off with before putting on his dry clothing.  
"Kento. I don't think you should be snooping around in Tori's laundry," Sai warned and pulled himself out of his jeans. Kento rolled his eyes.  
"Yeah, yeah... Look no touchie. I got it..."  
"Don't forget what happened the last time you pissed her off," Sage reminded as he attempted to pull off the wet sock. He ended up falling to the ground, unable to balance on one leg. "Ow. You were a human cat toy." Kento was ignoring him and opened the lid of the hamper again. "Get out of there!!" Sage hissed, fumbling for his dry boxers.  
"She'll do worse than tie you upside down as a kitty toy, man," Ryo warned.  
"Jesus. You guys are NO fun! She rival's Kayura in the undies department," he snickered and lifted a black bra out. Sai snatched the black undergarment and attempted to prevent him from snooping anymore. "No! K-Ken-TO! Stop! Let go!" Ryo sighed heavily and ignored the two.  
"Is it just me? Or was Tori a little... preoccupied today?" Ryo asked, tossing his clothing into the dryer along with the others. Rowen was scrubbing his blue locks with a towel.  
"You DID see what happened, right?" he reminded. "Anubis was all, ugh... touchie-feely with her," he shuddered. Sage raised an eyebrow with a cool smirk.  
"Maybe you're a little jealous that Red's got himself a little love bunny and Nasake won't give you squat," he suggested slyly.  
"I am not!!" Rowen argued. "We're just friends!" A collective laugh rolled around the room from the others. Strata frowned.  
"Pshh, friends my ass," Ryo chuckled.  
"Yeah... I bet you two are 'best' friends every night!!" Rowen rolled up his wet shirt and snapped it like a whip at Sage's bareback with a loud pop.  
"OWW! You tail-hole! That fucking hurt!" Sage shouted and rubbed his spine. Rowen glared.  
"GOOD. Next time you talk shit about her, you'll be rubbin' somethin' else and wishing you could have little blonde kiddies with Ms. Domo in there!" Ryo pulled on his jeans.  
"I bet he does that anyway," he chuckled. He pulled out a dry pair of socks. Sage flushed and yanked on his jeans.  
"DAMMIT, Kento!" Sai yelled. "Stop!!"  
"Woo! Too high for you, buddy?" Kento chuckled holding a purple bra this time high above Sai. Both had forgotten that they weren't quite dressed.  
"Will you two stop fighting? I hope you both realize that you look like two queens fighting over panties," Rowen said. It was quite a sad sight to see Sai jumping for girl's underwear. Purple lacy ones. Where was the camera when he needed it?  
"Ah, quit yer belly achin'. They're not gonna-"  
"Gotcha!" Sai snatched the bra out of Kento's hands, holding a number of items all ready in his own.  
"Hey!" Kento frowned.  
"Serves you right, perv," Rowen laughed and went back to drying his hair. Kento rolled up his wet shirt and popped Rowen in the leg with it. "AGH! Shit!!!" he hissed and backed away, tripping over another laundry hamper. Ryo pulled on a dry shirt. He picked a naked Rowen up out of the pile of ladies' laundry just as Tori slammed open the door. The sound startled Sai enough to trip over his jeans in an attempt to get them on. He fell on top of a naked Kento.  
"Dammit! Am I gonna have to strip you all down my... self?..." Her eyes widened. She opened the door more and leaned against the doorframe with a satisfied smile on her face. "... Do you boys have ANY idea how many bad jokes start out like this?" She saw Sai and Kento sprawled over each other like a bad male porn. Her underwear lay all over the room. She casually walked over to them and lifted her black bra off of Kento's chest. "Gee, Kento. If you want to borrow some of my stuff, you could have asked," she smiled. "Although these won't fit. I can order you some if you want," she offered casually. The serious in her voice deepened the shade of pink on Sai and Kento's faces. Sai pushed himself off of Kento and yanked on his jeans blushing, also giving her a full frontal view of the mighty Hardrock. Tori cocked her head to one side.  
"Well... They certainly gave you the right armor, Kento," she giggled. "Stay out of my underwear or I'll call Megami in here..." Kento yanked his bag over his lap and grinned nervously.  
"Heh, heh... S-sorry Tori... It won't happen again." Tori smiled.  
"Good." Without turning around she placed her hands on her hips. "Are you going to put on some clothes Rowen? You can stay that way if you want to, but I don't think Nasake will like it too much," she said nonchalantly. "Hey. I have a kitten... and well... he attacks anything that just... dangles. You know: string, branches, spiders, little pom-poms... especially the blue ones." She stepped up to Rowen and pulled the towel around his waist. He was a little more than stunned.  
"Toooorriiiiii..." Megami called as she stuck her head in the doorway. "Where are the..." She stopped in the doorway. She blinked. "... Um..." Kento turned several shades of red. Ryo calmly started the dryer as Sage tossed him a towel for his hair. "Hey, Megami," they greeted.  
"U-Um..." she mumbled. She blinked again and slowly slid out of the laundry room. "N-never mind..."  
"Ryo? Can you help me make dinner?" Tori asked and granted herself a pleasant view of Kento's behind as he finished putting on his jeans in record time before she met Ryo at the door.  
"Sure. What did you have in mind?"  
"Um... Well, the only thing we have is a package of hot dogs in the fridge, buuut..." she giggled. Ryo's face colored.  
"Got a phone?"  
"Yep!"  
"Phone book?"  
"... Uh, I think so..."  
"Hey Kento, didn't your Uncle Chin reopen his restaurant around here?" Ryo asked. Kento nodded dumbly. "Gimme forty-five minutes and I'll have the best mushu-pork in town on the table." Tori hugged his arm.  
"Sounds good..." she smiled as Ryo led her out of the room. Sage cast a worried glance over his shoulder at the others. They looked just as bothered.  
  
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Domo looked back at Sage as they entered the Chinese restaurant. "You know, Sage. You didn't have to come with me to get the food," she said and attempted to dry out her umbrella.  
"A pretty girl like you alone on the streets of Tokyo with the world's best Chinese food in hand? I think you'd need SOME kind of protection," he laughed and shook out the gravity defying hair. "Besides, I haven't seen Kento's uncle in a few years." Domo raised her eyebrow and reached over to Sage's hair. She touched it hesitantly.  
"W-what are you doing?" he demanded with a blush. Domo smiled.  
"... It's the armor. That's your secret, isn't it?!"  
"WHAT secret?"  
"Your hair..." Sage shrugged.  
"Good genes?" he suggested unsurely. Domo smirked.  
"Uh huh..."  
"He-hello?" A small, elderly man greeted them as he hurried through the red curtain doorway. "Table two?" he asked. Domo flushed.  
"Huh? Uh, no, uh..."  
"Ah! One. All by self! One, one, one!" he chattered as he filed through the menus.  
"No, no! I'm not-"  
"You one or two? Make up mind!" he laughed. Domo covered her face.  
"... I haaaaate this," she groaned to herself. Her 'distress' vanished when she started hearing a familiar voice speak perfect... PERFECT Chinese. She looked over at Sage and the old man. She sighed heavily.  
"Of course you know Chinese..." (Damn, what can't he do?) she asked herself.  
"OOOOOOOH. Why not you say you know Chin? Girlfriend talk too much!" he sputtered and hurried back through the red curtain.  
"Girlfriend?" Domo repeated. Sage flushed.  
"He's old... He wouldn't believe me if I said lady friend. He would think you're some kind of brothel girl," he explained calmly. "Are you mad?"  
"Huh?! No! I just... Forget it. It's not important," she mumbled.  
"SAGE!" Chin exclaimed as he rushed through the doorway. His large frame and cheery expression was the spitting image of the younger Hardrock. It made Domo smile. Before Sage could even bow, Chin plowed into him with a huge hug. "H-hello, Chin-san... W-when did you move back to Tokyo?" Chin instantly dropped Sage.  
"Whoops. Excuse me! I ... A few months after that little incident with your friends is when... Heh... Business seemed to... stop." Sage lowered his eyes.  
"Sorry about that..."  
"You boys aren't in any... you know... 'trouble'?" Chin gestured to Domo. Sage blinked.  
"Oh! It's all right. She knows. This is Domo."  
"Oh? Every time I see you boys, you always seem to have such pretty girls with you!" Domo blushed and smiled. Sage rolled his eyes.  
"Hi... The resemblance with Kento is... wow. You can tell you two are related." Chin laughed.  
"That's my nephew! How is he doin' anyway?"  
"Same old Kento," Sage smiled.  
"Well that's good! I'm flattered that you'd bring your girl friend to MY restaurant. Anything you two love birds want is on the house!" he smiled. Domo blushed heavily.  
"Uh, Chin-san... Um..."  
"Did I say something wrong?" he asked innocently. Domo cleared her throat.  
"I'll let you two catch up. I need to use the ladies' room," she said nervously.  
"Down the hall right after the dining room," Chin directed. He turned back to Sage and nudged him. "Cute little bunny you have there, Sage!" he laughed. Domo flushed. She wasn't quite out of earshot. She heard Sage laugh nervously.  
Domo followed the elaborate hallway past the dining room. Her eyes widened. "Niiice," she smiled and touched a lion by the doorway. When she stood she peered into the dining room. Gold and red dressed every corner, from tabletops to curtains. Elaborate dragons and painting hung on walls, separate booths were shielded with delicate paper screens, and on every table was a small red lantern. The whole dining area seemed to glow.  
In the midst of all the red and gold, a splash of familiar blue hair of an older boy caught her eye in the corner. Curiosity taking the better of the situation she entered slowly, careful not to disturb anyone. A large vase was blocking her view a few feet in front of her. A waiter passed by, she ducked behind a dragon statue and snatched a menu. She opened it and slipped by him. (That was close). When she looked back at the table, the boy was gone. "Damn..."  
"Domo!" a voice exclaimed. She jumped and nearly dropped the menu. She turned and saw someone she hadn't seen in a very long time.  
"Ryu?" she blinked. He was very elegantly dressed. He smiled at her as he embraced her tightly.  
"I was wondering when you were getting back," he said softly. Domo felt tears in her eyes as she clutched him tightly.  
"... I... I missed you," she whispered. Ryu held her face and kissed her softly.  
"I missed you too..." He dried her cheeks with a rolled up napkin from an empty table.  
"W-what are you doing here?" she asked.  
"My cousin's in town, remember? It's her birthday today. I'd introduce you two, but she's in the bathroom right now. I was about to go check on her when I saw you. What are you doing here?" Domo froze.  
(Yeah, tell him you're with another boy getting Chinese food, instead of calling him!) she thought with a mental groan. "Oh... um... getting take out. The girls had a craving for wontons and moo-goo gai pan." He nuzzled the inside of her ear.  
"Girls night out, hm? Too bad... If you had called, I would have had a welcome home... thing... planned," he purred against her ear. She smiled. "What are you doing tomorrow night?" he asked softly. Domo grinned darkly.  
"Why you," she smiled. Ryu grinned and kissed her again.  
"Domo? Whoa!" Sage flushed when he found a full-blown lip lock in front of him. Domo squeaked and pulled away.  
"S-sage!"  
"Sorry... I got the food for the girls and the guys... um..." Domo flushed and straightened.  
"Oh, sorry... Ryu, this is Sage. I met him at that camp thing with Tori's grandfather... Sage... this is-"  
"Ryu, her boyfriend," he answered quickly extending his hand. Sage smiled and extended his hand to him.  
"Pleased to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Domo," he said. Something snapped inside of him as their hands clasped. His brow furrowed faintly, catching the dark eyes. There was a dead silence. Domo cleared her throat. "Well... uh. We'd better get going, huh?" Sage nodded faintly. Domo turned to Ryu. "And I'll see YOU later," she smiled giving him a kiss. "Call me..."  
"Of course..." Domo smiled and followed Sage out.  
She found him waiting outside for her underneath the overhang of the restaurant. He was thoroughly embedded in thought. He looked almost worried. "What's wrong, Sage?"  
"Huh?... Oh... It's nothing. I was... thinking. Let's go."  
"S-sure."  
  
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"Whaaaaaat?! Whaddya mean I'm out?!" Kento shouted. Megami spun the spinner lazily. She sighed.  
"Your knee touched the mat, so you're out. Sorry Kento-kun. I like you a lot, but it's not fair if I play favorites," she explained. "I'll make it up to you, Kento-kin. Promise." Kento pouted.  
"Aww maaan..." He frowned and rolled off the dotted mat leaving Rowen, Nasake, Ryo, Tori, and a very flexible Sai still in the game. Megami spun the colored spinner. "Oookaaaay! Um... Right hand on... red!"  
"Ha! Too easy!" Rowen grunted and reached it with ease. Ryo reached as far as he could before loosing his balance. He landed flat taking Tori with him.  
"HEY! Ryo! That was my boob!" she winced after impact with his hand. "When she said 'right hand on RED', she didn't mean ME!! You owe me a wonton for that!"  
"Sorry," he flushed. He helped her to her feet and winked and Kento. He slipped him a high five.  
"Nice move, dude."  
"Of course," Ryo grinned. Megami frowned,  
"You did that on purpose!?" Tori stiffened and tackled Ryo to the floor. Another game commenced of wrestling. "Banzai!!" she laughed.  
"Come on! Ow! It was in the way!"  
"Yeah... I... bet!" she grunted and pinned Ryo. Megami spun again. Sai, Rowen, and Nasake were still playing and ignoring them.  
"Okay... Left foot...green!" she called.  
"ACHOO!" Rowen suddenly sneezed and collapsed to the ground. "Ow..." He rubbed his stomach. "Dammit... Tori? You don't own a dog, do you?"  
"Rgh... Ow! N-No... 'Sake does! Eeek! You perv!" Tori squealed and poked Ryo in the stomach after another 'violation'. Rowen rubbed his nose.  
"Sorry, Rowen... I missed my doggie. So I... saw him today. He's a poodle!" she beamed and moved her toe to a yellow circle as Megami called it out. "Wow, Sai... You're good at this!"  
"Lots of practice, love!" he smiled.  
"You play twister a lot?" she asked.  
Sakura walked in from the kitchen with a large bowl of popcorn and other snacks. Sai grinned.  
"Right hand blue!"  
"... You could say that..."  
"Sai, no! That's not fair to her!" Rowen ordered. Sai stuck out his tongue. "Oh that's mature!"  
"Tellll meee!" Nasake whined and reached her left hand to a red dot. "How much did you play?"  
"... Well... It wasn't exactly like... this..."  
"What was it?"  
"Left hand blue!"  
"... GOT IT! Ugh... Foreplay," Sai said with a grin. Nasake squeaked and fell to the mat in shock.  
"OW!.... Cheater," she muttered.  
"I win!" Sai smiled and jumped up.  
"Sai? Are you being perverted again?" Sakura scolded. Sai grabbed her by the waist in a tickling match.  
"Maaaaaybe!"  
"ACK! Hahaha! Eeee!"  
"AHHH! I'm starving! What are they doing?! If they don't get back soon and feed me, I'm gonna die!!!...." He paused then stuck out his tongue, hanging his head over the back of the couch. "I'm dead." Megami picked up a wrapped candy bar and shoved it in his open mouth.  
"Eat this you dummy!" she laughed. Kento started eating the wrapper. "AH NOT THE WRAPPER TOO!"  
"HA! I win!" Ryo cheered triumphantly and pinned her arms up over her head. "Now what, Rekka?" Tori grinned.  
"This!" She kicked Ryo up over her and pinned him in turn, before taking his head in her hands and licking his forehead.  
"WHOA!" Ryo exclaimed and squirmed away. Sakura high fived Tori.  
"What did she do to you, man?!" Rowen exclaimed.  
"She... LICKED me!" Ryo squeaked. He wiped his forehead.  
"Duuude... That's messed up!" Tori beamed.  
"I won, didn't I?"  
"Weeee're baaaack! Domo called. Kento bolted from the couch.  
"FOOOOOOD! YES!"  
  
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The midnight oil was burning rather low. Anubis leaned back in the computer chair and tossed his reading glasses to the desk, scrubbing at his eyes with a yawn. Still nothing to be found of the mysterious Amaranthine the Guardians spoke of. And he wasn't even halfway done with the large library of records, documents, and encyclopedias on armor and mythology. A large part of it was inside Mia's computer... He wasn't even going to touch the damn thing. The clock chimed a little after one in the morning, when he heard shuffling in the hallway. Whiteblaze, who had been lying at his side the whole time, lifted his head with a yawn. Anubis stroked the cat's ears. "Go back to sleep, old friend..."  
Anubis padded out of the room. The noise came from the living room. He found the eldest of the Ronins stepping silently towards Mia as she slept on the couch. The young woman had fallen asleep in the middle of her own search. Dais had in his arms a large quilt. He carefully draped it over Mia after retrieving the book in her lap. Anubis watched silently and was a little shocked to see him lean down and give her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Anubis felt something in the pit of his stomach. He touched the healing gash on his cheek and sighed. He could not quite differentiate the emotion from guilt or yearning. Whichever it was... he didn't like it.  
Dais took the book and turned to head in the direction of the study when he saw Anubis watching him fixedly. Anubis colored in shame as Dais did in his own embarrassment. He followed Anubis into the kitchen.  
"I figured you had all ready gone to bed," he said. Anubis shrugged and sat at the counter. He removed a knife from the cutting block and fiddled with the edge. "... Couldn't sleep. Thought I would help Lady Mia with her search on Amaranthine," he replied. Dais smirked.  
"Yes, I suppose so. You don't have a reason to get up early in the morning, now with nothing or no one to train." Anubis frowned.  
"If you are referring to Tori, then you are greatly mistaken, Dais," he snipped. Dais shrugged off his reply with indifference.  
"If you say so... You don't have to lie. I know she looks a lot like Zeal-"  
"She's nothing like that witch!" Anubis spat quickly, hoping to remedy the huge mistake he made earlier that day. The guilt eating a hole in his stomach indicated he had a LONG way to go.  
"Sorry... I was just going to say that because of the similarities she could remind you of her, none of us blame you for feeling an affinity towards Rekka."  
"I don't... at least not in the way you think... She can't stand me anyway," he finished lamely. "I just feel guilty..." Anubis stood slowly, replacing the knife. He went to head to bed.  
"Are you sure it's guilt?" Dais asked. Anubis stopped in the doorway for a brief moment, before continuing on to bed without a word.  
Dais sighed heavily and remembered the book he had in hand. He flipped on a smaller lamp in the corner of the kitchen to flip through it. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the small book was in fact a journal of Mia's grandfather's. A logbook filled with notes, personal opinions, photos, sketches, and even some small scraps of newspaper. His brow furrowed. With just skimming, most of the information seemed to talk about Inferno. Dais flipped to the final entry of the journal dated several days before the attack of the Dynasty in Tokyo. "... 'Like a coin, everything has a twin. Night and day, good and evil, black and white. This must be true for the armors. Should all five combine, a greater force may be unleashed. But what of the other four? Could the Ancient One have created a second Inferno as well? I read somewhere of instead of six...' six? Six what? Damn it all..." He closed the book after he could no longer make out the writing that had been blurred by water.  
Padding out of the kitchen, he placed the book on Mia's desk as he passed the room. Whiteblaze's ears perked.  
"... Come on, old friend... Let's get you someplace more comfortable..." Dais led the tiger up the stairs to his room. He stopped for a moment before he switched off his lamp. "... Night and day..." He reached into his pocket and removed Serenity from it. He stared at it for a long time, until the clock again struck, calling the second hour to pass.  
  
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Megami stood up with a large yawn. "Huuaaaaaaaaaah! I think I should be getting home. Daddy doesn't know that I'm home yet," she said.  
"Mom's past the point of no curfew," Domo said and followed her friend. "Just as long as I don't wind up in handcuffs with two cops at the doorstep," she added.  
"Troublemaker, are you?" Sage grinned.  
"With a capital 'T', Goldie locks," she spat with a laugh. Kento spewed his soda all over Sai.  
"KEN-TOOO!" "G-goldie locks?!" Kento laughed. Sage flushed with a frown. Domo grinned and ran her hands through his hair once.  
"... Yep! Nice, strong, great head of hair. Great to... 'hang on to', huh, Sagie-boy?" Sage's cheeks flared. Kento's jaw dropped.  
"DUDE!" he exclaimed. He leaned over close and blinked. "... You MADE it with her and didn't tell us?!" he hissed softly.  
"NO!!" Sage sputtered.  
"Keeeentoooo," Megami sang from the hallway. She leaned her head into the living room. Kento straightened and turned his head, blushing. "C'mere for a second..." She beckoned him with one orange tipped finger.  
"Uh, oh... Great. She's drunk..." Sakura sighed.  
"No'm nooot!" she spat from the hall. Kento was in the hallway in two seconds.  
"Awww. So everybody's goin' home?!" Rowen whined. "Maaan." Ryo chucked a pillow at him.  
"Relax... they'll be back tomorrow. We have three days to party and whatnot."  
"Was a 'whatnot'?" Tori asked and leaned across his lap.  
"Great! Tori's wasted too!" Sakura huffed. "Alcohol will make you fat, you know!"  
"I's noooo drivin'," she smiled.  
Rowen looked over at Nasake. She was silent. "What's wrong, 'Sake?"  
"Oh... um... nothing... Tori?" she asked. Tori sat up with a grin.  
"Wha? Hehehehee!"  
"Um, c-can I stay here tonight? I... I don't want to wake my grandmother when I go home." Tori nodded.  
"Sure, sure, sure... You kin sleep in Kiku's old room..." The room fell suddenly silent. Tori looked at Ryo. "She won't be using it anymore..." Ryo stood slowly and lifted Tori to her feet.  
"C'mon... Let's sleep off the alcohol," he said.  
"Kay... You guys r stayin' here tonight... Yer not goin' home till yer sober," she ordered, loosing her balance. Ryo picked her up.  
"How 'bout YOU sober up first?" Tori stuck her tongue out at him.  
"Shut up and carry me to my room, man slave!" Sai fell off the couch in a fit of giggles, managing a laughable 'man slave' with every needed breath of air he tried to take.  
"Who am I taking home then?" Kento announced (the only actual sober one of the group). He ran a hand through his now messy hair. Megami's shirt was slightly unbuttoned. Sakura, Megami, and Domo raised their hands... Sai did too. Kento chucked a pillow at him. "Not you, numb nuts."  
"'Ey! I was up and at 'em twice as much as you on Prom night, remember?!" Sai spat drunkenly.  
"Whaaaaat, whatEVER man!"  
"You're just jealous cause, Hardrock didn't stay hard!" he spat back. Sakura's eyes widened with a blush. Domo's eyebrows rose.  
"REALLY?"  
"SAI!" Sage scolded. "Girls don't like that kind of talk!"  
"Unless you're Domo!" Tori hollered from the top of the stairs. "OW!"  
"Be nice!" Ryo scolded. Domo rolled her eyes.  
"She's just mad cause Red's obsessed with Zeal," Domo spat with a smirk.  
"I am not!!!!"  
Sai shoved Sage away. "And YOU, Mista Very Large Halo Bearing Sword... Person... YOU rode her to a gallop till-hrmph!" Sage smothered Sai with a pillow.  
"Shut up!" Domo crept her hand down the inside of Sage's jean cased thigh.  
"Hung like a horse, aren't you?" Sage let go of Sai and squeaked.  
"H-hey!" Domo placed herself in his lap.  
"Don't be shy, Sagie boy..." Sai grinned.  
"Get him goin' and he'll go all night!"  
"SAI!"  
"What?"  
"Shut up!"  
"I think we should be getting home before we go somewhere this party shouldn't go!" Sakura hollered over the laughter and giggling.  
"R-right," Nasake agreed softly.  
"All right, all right!" Domo sighed. She smiled down at Sage and ran a finger over the contour of his jaw line. "YOU are definitely on my list of things to DO," she giggled. Sage raised an eyebrow.  
"Does Ryu know about this list?"  
"Hmm... Maaaybe. I was just kidding Sage," Domo giggled and ran her hands through his hair, snagging it gently before kissing him fully on the mouth. Sage's cheeks heated as she pulled away.  
"Nighty, night..." Rowen made a wolf whistle as she strode out of the room after the others. Sage rubbed the back of his neck.  
"You know, Sage... If you were looking for the opportune moment... that was it," Rowen smirked. Sage flushed and quickly exited the room.  
Nasake turned her head to Rowen.  
"He's got a crush on her, doesn't he?"  
"BIG time..." Nasake nodded slowly and watched Sai make a fort out of the couch cushions.  
"Let's see Talpa break in here! Mwahaha!"  
"'Sake?" Rowen asked suddenly.  
"Huh?" She munched on a left over egg roll.  
"... Why didn't you want to go home? The REAL reason." Nasake stiffened.  
"I... I don't know what you're talking about, Rowen..." He sighed heavily and stood.  
"Okay... If you don't wanna tell me, that's okay, but you should tell us if there's something goin' on at home that you know is bad... It's not good to keep it a secret. It eats away at you." He looked back down at her and saw her shaking. "Hey!" He kneeled and touched her shoulders.  
"Don't touch me!" she exclaimed, slapping his cheek. She gasped in shock. She didn't realize what she had just done. "Oh, god, Rowen! I... I didn't mean... I..." Rowen fell back clutching his cheek in shock.  
"S-s'okay... Oww..." Rowen sat up and carefully grasped her hand. "Hey... c'mon... I'll tuck you in, okay?" She nodded slowly before he helped her to her feet.  
  
Kento latched the lock on the door and entered the living room.  
A giant fortress towered before him completely constructed of couch cushions, sheets, chairs, and a makeshift war banner out of notebook paper, blue colored pencil, and duct tape. Torrent's symbol labeled the fortress.  
"Um, Sai?"  
"Yeeeeeesssssss?"  
"What are you doin'?"  
"Noooothin'."  
"Uh huh... What's that?"  
"My Fortress of Doom!"  
Kento raised an eyebrow.  
"... Uh huh..." Silence. "Hey, Sai?"  
"Yes, evil minion?"  
"Can I make a fort too?" Sai poked his samurai paper hat covered head out of the fort and grabbed a small couch pillow. He hurled it at Kento. "Go nuts." Kento pouted.  
"Hey, Sai?"  
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" he whined.  
"GODZILLA!!"  
"Nooooo!"  
  
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Rowen yawned sleepily as Nasake slept on his chest as he stroked her soft hair. She had cried herself to sleep, not giving a word edgewise as to why. His brow furrowed as he thought about several things that had suddenly came to light.  
  
= = Rowen hammered away at the roof as he was fixing the shingles from the last samurai attack. It looked like a storm was coming. He reached into his pocket for more nails. None. "Sake? Can you hand me a couple of nails?"  
"Huh? Oh, sure!" She turned and dug into the toolbox for more. His eyes widened when he saw the large slash marks on her back. Two of them were rather large. "Here ya go!" she beamed.  
"Thanks... What happened to your back, 'Sake?" He saw her face pale.  
"Uh... I uh... got into a bike accident. It's nothing. Sage says they're healing up nicely. I'm okay..."  
  
Nasake followed Rowen to her room as they came down from the attic where the others had congregated. "He really is gone, huh?" she quavered. Rowen nodded.  
"M'fraid so, honey..." He went to pull her close when she backed away sharply. "'Sake... I'm not gonna hurt you," he whispered. She looked up at him as if it didn't happen.  
"S-sorry. I'm just... jumpy..."  
  
Rowen padded down the hallway. He stopped when he heard voices. "Aw, come on, 'Sake! It's just a magazine. There's no need to get mad!" Domo explained.  
"Why not!? He should lock the bathroom door when Sekkie's doing... THAT!"  
"Honestly, 'Sake," Domo sighed. "You're such a prude sometimes!"  
"I'm not! I just don't think that it's right to bastardize girls like that!!!" she shouted and stormed out of their bedroom, slamming straight into Rowen. She gasped and ran downstairs quickly. She was crying.  
"What's with her?" Rowen asked Domo.  
"Beats the hell out of me... She's always been sensitive about things like that... Don't worry about it..." = =  
  
He sighed heavily. Gently he kissed her forehead and leaned against it. He dug into his pocket and pulled out Strata. It glowed faintly. Rowen placed it on the nightstand, and listened to the soft rain before falling asleep.  
  
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A/N: Too much saké with the boys is a GOOD thing. And yes... Sai was wearing a paper hat. Sooo cute! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW YOU PERVY ELF? (You know who you are...) 


	31. The Thunder Cutter Technique Pt 1 of 2

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"  
By Onikage  
  
Scroll Thirty-One: The Thunder Cutter Technique  
Part One of Two  
  
Tori massaged her temples with a groan. "Now I know why 'Jiisan never let me have any saké." Ryo passed her the bottle of painkillers.  
"Welcome to the college life, sweetheart," he chuckled.  
"Man! It's four thirty and I still have a headache!" Megami groaned. "Hangovers suuuuck," she whined from the couch. She lay in Kento's lap. He held a cold compress to her forehead.  
"I told you not to drink a lot," he said with a sigh.  
"I didn't! I had... um... four shots of tequila!" she protested. "Tori had six!"  
"But I didn't chase it with five daiquiris!" she snapped before hissing loudly. "Ow..." She saw a small shot glass under her nose.  
"Here ya go, love," Sai said gently and massaged her shoulders. Tori picked it up.  
"Ugh... How can you be so fucking pleasant? You drank more than anyone!" Sai kissed the top of her head.  
"Drink it. It'll clear your head like a shotgun. Then go and drink water... lots and lots, and LOTS of water..."  
"Or you can drink more alcohol until you're not sober. When you start to feel it again, drink a little less, repeat until you're down to one!" Kento smiled. Tori glared.  
"SOME of us don't binge, Kento..."  
"It's not 'binging'!" he argued. "It's effective moderation..."  
"Whoa Kento used BIG words!" Ryo marveled.  
"Yeah, they are bigger than SOME things," he grinned. Megami poked him. "Ow, hey!"  
"Pervy monkey..." she muttered. Tori sniffed the glass.  
"What's in it?" Sai sighed and readied a large glass of water.  
"Just drink it fast..."  
"Come on! Tell me!"  
"I'll tell you once you drink it!" Tori sighed and remembered the pounding in her head. In one gulp she downed the shot. She gasped and coughed loudly, tears coming to her eyes. "Wh-what?" He handed her the glass. She drank generously.  
"Fifty percent tequila, fifty percent Tabasco sauce," he answered. "Is your head clear?" Tori nodded and moaned.  
"You guys need to be more careful when you drink," Sage advised.  
"Yeah!" Sakura agreed. "When's Nasake getting here? I thought she was coming with you guys to this kick ass apartment!"  
"She was gone when Rowen got up this morning. She left a note to come pick her up at her house. Rowen's on his way now," Sage said.  
"Mnn... Domo said she was gonna come over later... She sounded really happy..."  
"Really happy?" Ryo began. "Somebody worked off the alcohol."  
"Hey sex is the best way to get rid of a hangover!" Kento beamed. "Whaddya say Meg? You up for it?" Megami lifted the compress from her eyes. She glared at him.  
"Sorry Kento-kun... There's this thing called 'waiting for the right guy'..." Kento pouted.  
"B-b-but... What about meeee?" Megami covered her eyes again.  
"Marry me and then we'll talk." Kento pouted again.  
"Boo..."  
"I don't know why she's with him. He's cheated on her twice all ready," Tori said after a long drink. Sage's head shot up.  
"E-excuse me?" Tori filled her water glass again.  
"Yeah, twice. One time I told her about it, didn't believe me of course... The next time she caught him in the act. STILL didn't kick him to the curb." She set the glass down. "I'm going to sleep..." She mumbled.  
"Use the guest room next to Rowen's room, just move my stuff of the bed," Ryo said. Tori groaned softly and slinked off the stool. "Unless Talpa's attacking, don't get me up..."  
"Okay... Want us to wake you for dinner?" Kento called.  
"Mnn..."  
"... Can I have yours then?"  
"Eat your heart out, Kento-kun," she called.  
  
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Domo exited the elevator and checked the directions Rowen had given her. "... Hmm, tenth floor, fifth door on the right." She began to count the rather LARGE apartments as she passed them. She thought to herself how in the hell Rowen could afford such a lavish apartment in the most expensive part of Tokyo.  
"Must be a drug lord," she laughed to herself. She stopped at the fifth one and sighed heavily with a roll of her eyes. "Sixty-nine... Figures," she scoffed and knocked softly. The door opened slightly and she saw Hardrock's slate blue eyes peeking out at her as if she were an uninvited guest at an exclusive club...  
"Password," he stated firmly.  
(What. The. Fuck. He looks like a friggin' bouncer.) "It's me, dammit. Lemme in," Domo ordered.  
"Me? Who's me? I dunno a 'me'," Kento evaded. Domo scowled.  
"Password," he repeated.  
"I'm gonna crush your manhood into dust. How's that?"  
"Nope. What's the password? Can't let you in without 'the password'." "Hnnnn... Dammit it, lemme in! Sage and Sai are expecting me!"  
"And I'M expecting a password."  
"... 'Hardrock'?"  
"No..."  
"'Open Sesame'?"  
"Nuh uh."  
"... 'Kento: The All Powerful Sex God of the Universe That I Want SO Bad It's Killing Me'?" Kento grinned.  
"... Damn! That isn't it, but if I let you in, do you promise?!" Domo glared.  
"HARDROCK!!!"  
"Access De-NIED!" Domo frowned and gripped the brown paper bag in her hand... It had been almost a year since she had them... (Eh. I didn't need the extra sugar anyway.) She held up the bag to the door and smiled. "I've got dooooonuuuts!" she sang, baiting him on.  
There was a DISTINCT pause.  
"... Cake? Or GLAZED..."  
"Glazed."  
Another distinct pause.  
"... Wiiiith... SPRINKLES!?"  
"Chocolate AND Christmas colors!" she said proudly. The door shot open.  
"ACCESS GRANTED!" Kento beamed. Domo tossed him the bag as she slipped inside. "WHOO HOO! Aww... They're still waaaarm! WEEEEEEEEP." He hugged her from behind. "Duuuuude. I LOVE YOU!"  
"Down boy... Where's Megami anyway?" she asked trying to pry out of Hardrock's loveable grip. "Kento! LET GO!" She snatched his headband.  
"Hey!!"  
"Megami, Tori, and Sakura-sama are taking a nap," Sai replied, filing through the nearly empty pantry of Rowen Hashiba. "Anyone up for half a box of three year old cereal and... cream of potato soup?" he sighed, pulling out a pen and paper from the drawer next to the refrigerator. He started scribbling down a long grocery list.  
Domo shook her head and twirled Kento's headband a few times before flinging it back at him. "I can't believe that they're STILL hung over."  
"Well, what about you?" Ryo said grinning. Kento nodded.  
"'Ri-fan fed you... were at yer boyhfriendsth."  
"Kento! Don't talk with your mouth full!" Sai scolded, not looking up from his list. Kento rolled his eyes.  
"Yefs, mommyh... OWH!" A pen bounced off his forehead and hit the floor. Kento glared at Sai who slammed shut the drawer after retrieving another pen. Domo stretched out on the couch next to Sage. He had been very quiet.  
"Yep!" she answered. "I got MOST of the tension out of my body... I'm leaving again early tonight. He's got something romantic planned," she grinned.  
"Need a ride?" Sage asked softly. "It's supposed to pour tonight." Domo tipped her head backwards and blinked.  
"Thank you, Sage. That'd be nice... I walked a long way here. Saving on gas." Sage nodded silently before getting up and going outside onto the balcony. "What's up with him?" she asked.  
"Uh..." Ryo looked at Sai. Sai looked at Kento. Kento cleared his throat. Domo stood slowly and advanced onto Kento.  
"Kento?"  
"... Y-yes?"  
"What's wrong with Sage?"  
"Um... nothing."  
"Kento?" Domo began again more slowly. Kento was too late to escape her as she pounced on him. "Tell me right now!!"  
"Ahhh! Something's eating my head!" he exclaimed before she put him into a headlock. "S-stop! ACK! A-air! AIR!"  
"Spill it Kento!"  
"He... he... He's hot for you!" he choked out. Domo released him in complete surprise.  
"... Oh."  
"Can you get off of me now... You're heavy... OWW!" He rubbed the back of his skull where she hit him.  
  
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Rowen scratched his head while he re-read the directions to Nasake's apartment. "Damn... did I take a wrong turn? This can't be the place..." He looked up at the building indicated on the paper. It was an old, almost rundown building. Some of the buildings around it were condemned or close to it. He turned off the engine to his car and stepped out. After another quick look around of the... less than girl-scout cookie friendly surroundings, he locked the car and headed up the steps of the apartment. He read the list of names on the intercom. He sighed heavily. "Yep, this is the place..." He pushed the button next to her name on the intercom.  
"... H-hello?" an elderly woman's voice called.  
"Um, hi... My name is Rowen. Is Nasake home? I was supposed to pick her up for the other girls." There was a pause.  
"... C'mon up," she said. There was a loud buzz and Rowen tried the door.  
  
"Apartment seven 'B'..." he murmured before knocking. There was the unlatching of several locks before soft, experienced blue eyes peered out at him suspiciously. "Are you 'Sake's grandmother?" he asked.  
"Whatcha want with her?" she demanded. Rowen scratched his head.  
"Um, she asked me to pick her up today. She gave me a note..." He dug into his pocket and showed it to her. She snatched it.  
"Well... All right..." She opened the door further. "She's giving the rent money to the landlord right now. His place is on the top floor. Nine 'A'."  
"Yes, ma'am... Thank you very much."  
"Careful... He doesn't like strangers on his doorstep." Rowen nodded silently.  
  
He finished climbing the stairs with a grumble. "Like a damn wild goose chase..." He turned the corner and saw Nasake standing next to a larger man. She was looking down at the ground appearing slightly distressed.  
"... Next time, you'll pay the rent on time then, hm?" he chuckled darkly.  
"Yes... yes, Mr. Takanawa..." She attempted to hurry past him when he caught her arm. He bent down close to her ear and whispered something. She blushed. "Pl-please... I'm supposed to be meeting someone today..."  
"Nasake!" Rowen called quickly, trying to erase all concern from his face and voice and mask it with eagerness. He smiled. "There you are! It took me forever to find the place!" Takanawa freed her and glared at Rowen.  
"Don't forget about tomorrow, Miss Nasake," he reminded.  
"Yes... Yes sir..." Rowen took her hand and pulled her along.  
"C'mon! Kento's got this really weird game you'd like!"  
"WHOA! Hey! Easy Rowen-kun!" He stopped hurrying when the reached the stairwell.  
"... Are you okay? You look like you fell out of your laundry basket!" he laughed softly. Nasake looked back up the stairwell and nodded. "I'm fine... Just... I woke up late. Mr. Takanawa doesn't like the rent to be late either. I didn't have time to pick something out. I threw something on..." Rowen looped his fingers through hers as they continued down the stairs. He grit his teeth together. He couldn't believe that she had the gall to lie to him. Then again... She seemed secretive about something.  
"Sobo didn't do anything to you, did she?" she asked as they came to her apartment. She knocked. "It's me Sobo!" she called.  
"... No. She seemed paranoid though... Is everything all right here?"  
"Sure, why wouldn't it be?" she smiled. The door unlocked and they entered the tiny place. "It's not much, but it's home." Rowen smiled.  
"It's cozy."  
"TAKE HIM DOWN!!! WHOOO! GO BABY!" Rowen jumped as the happy cheers of the elderly woman filled the house. They entered the living room just as she leapt up in front of the television, knocking her chair to the floor. "Sobo? ... Sobo?"  
"USE THE SLEEPER HOLD ON HIM!!" she exclaimed. Nasake growled and switched off the set. "HEY!"  
"Sobo! The doctor says that you can't be getting excited like that! It's bad enough that we barely can pay the rent here AND eat!" she scolded. Her grandmother frowned and sighed.  
"All right, all right..." She turned to Rowen. Her eyes widened. "Who're you?" Rowen flushed.  
"Uh, we met at the door, remember?"  
"What? OHH! Damn, boy! You look much more handsome with some light on yer face. These halls are so damn dim!" she smiled.  
"Heh, uh, thanks... I think..."  
"Quite a lad, you've brought ta granny!" she mused and slapped him hard on the rear. Rowen's whole body straightened. "Built like your grandpa!"  
"Eww. Sobo, please don't talk about sex and granddad," she whined. "I'll be just a second, Rowen-kun. I'm gonna find something better to wear. You and Sobo get acquainted, 'kay?"  
"Um... O-okay."  
"Say, Rowen... Wanna see something?" Nasake's grandmother asked. Rowen swallowed hard.  
  
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Dais sighed heavily as he flipped through the journal he had found. "Damn, damn, damn... What the hell did Dr. Koji find?" He shut the book with a bang and leaned against the doorframe leading onto the veranda. "Think man... What else did Kaos, tell you?!" he hissed to himself. He closed his eye and let out a breath. "... 'The four gods' shield will reveal the gods' Inferno: Amaranthine'. Four gods, four gods, four gods... Four-"  
"Dais?" Mia called. He jumped.  
"DAH!" He caught the book. "My LADY!... Make some damn noise when you walk about!" he gasped. Mia giggled and pulled the blanket around her tightly.  
"Did I scare you?" she laughed. "I'm sorry, Dais!"  
"No... You just..." He frowned. "Not a word of this to Kayura, you hear?" Mia giggled again.  
"I promise."  
"What are you doing out here? You'll catch yourself a death of a cold!" Mia walked back to the porch swing and sat.  
"It's okay, Dais. I have a blanket. I was just watching the rain with Whiteblaze... Well, he's keeping me company..." She leaned down and stroked the fur gently. The large cat was fast asleep. "Come sit," she said. "Whiteblaze doesn't talk back... and I really don't want to talk to myself... Although you seem to do that quite often around here," she smiled. Dais frowned slightly and sat beside her.  
"I was thinking about the dream I had a while back about Amaranthine... There was more to it, I just can't seem to remember anything else except something about a four gods' shield revealing it... and there isn't any data that we've found yet about a shield either... I give up..." He set the red journal aside and leaned back against the swing.  
"You'll remember something soon, Dais... Just don't think about it. Just listen to the rain. It's so relaxing, isn't it?" Dais looked out onto the lake's surface several hundred yards away. The lights of the Nether Realm sparkled on the mirrored surface. Those lights and the freezing rain was all there was in that few moments of silence. The rain continued to fall softly on the leaves and the rooftop. The gentle sound was just as relaxing as she said it was. He could see just a sliver of the gold and ruby lights over the treetops on the lake's surface. Beyond that was the rocky mountain bordering Talpa's domain forming still very slowly. He was surprised that since the appearance of Kurai and the mortality of Talpa, that the Mortal Realm was still able to fend off the dark energy. (We're running out of time...) he thought. He looked over at Mia. She wasn't looking at the horizon, but down in her lap.  
"Something troubling you, Mia?" he asked. She nodded slowly.  
"... It's Cale..."  
"What about him?"  
"... He's... in love with me... He told me earlier after the others left... I... I don't know what to say or do... let alone think," she murmured shyly. She pulled the blanket tighter around her.  
"You... do not feel the same way, do you?" he inquired carefully. Mia blushed softly.  
"Well... I did... once, but..."  
"Not anymore?" She nodded.  
"It's... complicated. I've... He... just came on so strongly..." Dais sat up rather quickly.  
"He didn't DO anything to you, did he?"  
"... He kissed me, but... it's not that... A while back... Someone hurt me and... it's been hard to let myself go to that level of vulnerability..." Dais nodded silently.  
"Aye... a broken heart is a tough mend..." Mia looked at him suddenly. Dais blinked. "Did I say something wrong?"  
"N-no..." She just smiled. "You're so very sweet, Dais... You don't think about the darker side of things, do you?"  
"... After nearly half a millennia with my heart doused in evil, yes, I do tend to see things in a... brighter perspective. Why?" Mia looked away.  
"No reason... Dais?"  
"Yes, my lady?"  
"How would you tell someone you loved how you felt?" He blushed gently.  
"'How'? Well... I suppose I would just sit them down somewhere quiet and private... and... probably ramble on and on about love, looking for the right way to say it, before giving up and just... saying it..." Mia nodded slowly.  
"No flowers or... poems?"  
"... I'm not much of a poet, my lady... and flowers... no... I'd do it when they'd least expect it."  
"Okay," she smiled. He grinned.  
"Why? Is there someone that makes your heart thud, hm?" Mia turned her head away.  
"Perhaps... Actually, Ryo asked me the other day about it. He's been wanting to tell someone special how he feels. I told him I'd think about a good way to... Your way sounds, reasonable," she mused.  
"Well, I am glad I could be of help," he smiled with a laugh. Mia stood with a yawn.  
"... I'm heading off to bed early tonight. Don't stay up too late now," she warned.  
"I won't." He stood and kissed her forehead gently. Mia gasped softly. "Sleep sweet... my lady," he whispered. Mia blushed as his one eye pierced through her.  
"You... too," she mumbled, kissing his cheeks gently, before hurrying into the house. He watched her go and swallowed hard, before falling back onto the swing with a rush of air. "... Gods she smelled good," he breathed. He closed his eye. His heart was racing. It had been since she startled him.  
"... Find what you were looking for, Dais?" Cale asked icily as he stepped out of the shadows. Dais didn't look up. He stood slowly.  
"... It isn't polite to eavesdrop, let alone stalk the poor woman," he shot. Cale's dark eyes flashed.  
"Perhaps... but that is one man's observation," he smirked. "I'd like to call it... serendipity," he finished as he stepped back into the shadows. "I think I'll say goodnight to Lady Mia too," he murmured as he vanished. Dais frowned.  
"... This could get ugly."  
  
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Nasake was quiet as they drove back towards the apartment. Rowen hadn't bothered to turn on the radio or anything. He just sat back and drove while listening to the rain. His mind was racing with thoughts of Nasake.  
"Something wrong, Rowen-kun?" she asked.  
"Huh? Oh... No... I was just thinking..." He paused. "Say Nasake... You trust me, don't you?"  
"Um... I guess I do. Why do you ask?"  
"... I don't know... Sometimes... every once in a while... I get these weird gut feelings. It's kind of a curse that I have because they're always bad. I don't talk about this a lot with the guys because of all the weird stuff we deal with all the time. Whenever I get them, I try so hard to stop what ever it is from happening... Like I said, it's my curse. An-anyway ... I just want to tell you that... If there is anything wrong, you can come to me anytime. Whether it's something silly like 'Hey Rowen, do you have any loose change, I gotta buy a tampon' or something." Nasake giggled.  
"ROWEN!"  
"Okay, okay, that wouldn't be classified as silly, but... Say if you were in some kind of trouble, or you were in a situation you couldn't get out of and you were too scared to do anything... I'm here for you, 'kay?" he finished softly. Nasake looked into her lap.  
"Is that what your gut feeling is telling you?" she asked softly.  
"No. I just wanted to let you know because... I care about you a lot, Nasake... and I don't want to see you, or any of the other girls get hurt. I love you all too much to let that happen. It hurts when I feel that you don't trust me..." A deep blush stained his face. Nasake turned to look out the window. She smiled to herself.  
"Thanks, Rowen... Hey? Isn't that Sage?" she pointed out at a car passing them in the opposite direction.  
"Where's he going?"  
"I think I saw Domo in the car with him..."  
  
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Domo looked over at Sage as they drove. He was usually silent and had been since they had first returned to the city. She couldn't help but wonder if a lot of it had something to do with her and how he felt about her. She sighed heavily. (Damn that hair... Can't even see his face. Wouldn't matter anyway, the guy could be as a giddy as a gay, and you couldn't even tell. And Sekkie has the nerve to call ME stoic.)  
"What's wrong? Getting butterflies?" he chuckled. Domo was surprised that he actually smiled. She blushed for two reasons: one, it was partly true, the second was that he looked so damn cute when he smiled. She kicked herself for even thinking more about the second than the first. Sage pulled into park along the street. The rain was coming down in buckets.  
"... A little..."  
"I would be too. With the way you two were acting yesterday, I'd be psyched..."  
"You... don't have to pretend to be happy for me, Sage. The boys told me," she said suddenly. Sage didn't even flinch as he exited the car with the umbrella ready. He opened her car door and helped her out, trying to keep them from getting wet. She wondered if he even understood what she said.  
"Pretend what? I'm not pretending anything. I'm happy that someone has been able to put a smile on your face again in the midst of all this... stuff," he said over the roar of the rain. They stood under the umbrella beside the covered overhang of the apartment. Domo lowered her eyes.  
"They told me, Sage. They told me how you felt about me..." Sage's visible eye closed. He felt silent. She touched his sleeve gently. She knew Sage was sensitive from the first time they spoke. It was in his eyes, his voice, and the way he always tried to be polite as possible to and to everyone else. She had let other guys down before, but... this time it was different. For once she couldn't bring herself to even say the words that she loved someone else. Perhaps all the time they spent in the valley did things start to seem more... vulnerable and above all valuable as the very thought of going to sleep invoked the fear of that it could be the last time.  
His violet eye opened slowly and stared down at her. The mask had been removed for that instant. "... Sage," she began softly. He shook his head.  
"I... I know..." he said softly. "... Still doesn't change anything or how I feel..." he whispered softly. He reached up to touch her face, then stopped. He sighed. "... We can talk about it some other time, Domo-sama... Go on, your prince is waiting," he finished with his best smile.  
"Sage-"  
"Go!" he laughed. "The humidity's going to ruin that pretty hair of yours!" Domo blushed softly. Without a word she leaned up and kissed him softly. "... Thank you for understanding, Sage," she said softly before entering the double glass doors.  
Sage looked up at the building silently.  
He froze as a flash of magenta lightning lit up the sky...  
  
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Anubis leaned against the large sliding glass door and stared outside at the rain as it fell in masses. The gutters were overflowing, the water began to puddle, the ground unable to keep up with the amount falling. It had been raining for a day and a half without letting up. He jumped when something smacked hard against the glass. "What the devil?!" Looking down he saw a small red-feathered bird flapping one wing helplessly. Slowly he opened the door and lifted the frail body gently. It seemed tiny in his hands. It cheeped softly. "... What in the world were you doing out in this weather, hm?" He ran his fingertips a long the back of it slowly as he walked to the linen closet to fetch a small towel. He wrapped the small bird gently and sat by the window again. The small bird was shivering.  
"Anubis what are you doing?" Sekhmet asked as he saw him by the window.  
"... A baby bird hit the window," he said softly. "She doesn't appear to be hurt... just a little cold," he whispered, not looking up. It cheeped again. "Shh..."  
"Are you going to help with dinner? Kayura won't let me near the kitchen unless it's dishwasher duty... Are you listening?"  
"Hm? Did you say something, Sekhmet? I wasn't paying attention," Anubis looked up. Sekhmet rolled his eyes and turned on his heel.  
"He's fallen so quickly, he hasn't even realized he's tripped yet..." he muttered.  
  
"Tori?" Ryo knocked softly on the bedroom door. He found her watching the rain pelt the window. "Tori?" He sat next to her and touched her hair. "What's the matter?" he asked. Tori looked at him with sad eyes. She said nothing and leaned over, burying her face in his chest. "Whoa, hey!" he began again. "What's wrong?"  
"... Nothing... The rain... I just felt so lonely all of a sudden." Ryo touched her hair gently.  
"... It is pretty dreary out there... Nasake and Rowen are here. Sai and Sakura went shopping for some party food... No booze this time though..." Tori didn't say anything. She just sighed. Ryo kissed the top of her head when the news failed to put her into a better mood.  
"Want some company?" he asked softly. Tori only responded with a tighter hold, hoping the temporary would last her until they returned. 


	32. The Thunder Cutter Technique Pt 2 of 2

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Thirty-Two: The Thunder Cutter Technique

Part Two of Two

WARNING: Sexual situations! This story isn't for kids! Read the rating, dammit!

Kayura flipped her hair care freely as she hopped down the stairs into the kitchen. She found Sekhmet hard at work on dessert. Mia was rummaging through the refrigerator for ingredients for him. "Sekhmet? Uh... what's a... 'stone grass'?" she asked, looking up from the list. Sekhmet blinked and took the list. "Whoops... Uh, hmm..." He noticed Kayura. "Ah, woman! Stone grass resembles what mortal food?" he asked, forcing the list in front of her face. She batted his hands away.

"G-get that out of my face!" Kayura folded her arms and frowned. "Stop calling me 'woman'! I have a name, you buffoon..." Mia bit back a laugh.

"Kayura, it was just a request..."

"Oh, sure! He calls you 'LADY' Mia," she spat. Sekhmet growled.

"KAYURA What food is it?"

"Sugar cane," she replied, matter of factly.

"Damn, that's right..." Sekhmet went back to cutting and Mia searched for the closest thing: table sugar. Kayura peered over Sekhmet's arm. "What are you making that requires stone grass?" she asked.

"It's a surprise," he said proudly. Kayura paled.

"Oh, no! It's not that awful Dragonroot pie, is it?" she moaned. Sekhmet growled.

"Hey! It's good! You're strange if you don't like it! It's like hating chocolate!!" he exclaimed. Kayura pouted.

"But Sekhmet," she whined. "You KNOW I'm allergic to the dragonroot!"

"I'm not using Nether ingredients, woman... Dragonroot tastes just like cinnamon, and you polished off a whole box of cereal in a day because you love it! My Dragonroot pie is the best DAMN pie in the world!" he argued. Mia laughed.

"You two sound like you're little kids," she smiled. "C'mon, Kayura. It can't be that bad if it's a delicacy where he comes from." Kayura folded her arms.

"Tell me something, Mia. Caviar is a delicacy. What do you think of that? The man sucks baby bird eggs for breakfast!!"

"So?! You eat an omelet every morning!" Sekhmet snapped.

"... You have a point," she said to her with a face. "Sekhmet? What does this taste like anyway?"

"It tastes GOOD," he frowned.

"N-no. I mean does it taste similar to anything else? Like apple pie?"

"Oh... It _is_ apple pie then," he said, realizing it himself. "I wanted to make something different too..." he sighed.

"Oh, Sekkie," Kayura said softly and hugged his shoulders. "At least they won't throw up eating your REAL pie."

"Go away!" he snapped. Mia put herself between them.

"Knock it off!" she said. Sekhmet grabbed his bowl and started mixing again while nursing his bruised ego. "Come on Kayura... Let's let Sekhmet alone," she said and led her out of the kitchen. "Kayura stuck her tongue out at Sekhmet. He did it back and grumbled to himself.

"Lady Kayura?" Mia asked again.

"Yes?" she grumbled, still upset about the spat in the kitchen.

"How much do you know about the remaining four Ronin armors?" Mia finished. Kayura stopped.

"... Not very much. Why?"

"I need for you to take a look at something I found in my grandfather's journal. Dais can't make heads or tails of it... but you might recognize it."

"Okay!" Sai announced and opened up the video cabinet. "Here's what we got..." He stopped and frowned.

"What's wrong, Sai?" Sakura asked. She sat beside him.

"Well, unless you all want to get in the mood, there's nothing but adult movies in here," he frowned. Kento jumped out of his seat next to Megami and next to his best friend.

"Whaaat? No shit?!" Torrent sighed.

"Have a look... Babes in Sex Toy Land... Naughty Nightshift Nurses..."

"HEY!" Kento frowned and grabbed another video. "This is the one I..." He stopped before he could FURTHER incriminate himself. "I... saw Rowen borrow from Sekhmet... yeah..." Megami rolled her eyes.

"Uh huh..." She threw a pillow at them. "You all ready kinda played the 'I love sex' card with your Ronin Prom orgy you guys had so drunkenly told us last evening..." Ryo, Sai, and Kento blushed. Sai snatched the video back from Kento and shut the case with a bang.

"It WASN'T an orgy, love... We were all in private, SEPARATE rooms, thank you very much." Kento shrugged and followed Sai into the kitchen to help with dinner.

"'Cept for Sage..." Sai elbowed him. "OW! What?!"

"Shh!" Sai hissed.

"Whaat? The guy's an animal, Sai!" he protested. "You have stamina, I have stamina, Ryo and Rowen are kinda freaky with theirs, but SAGE? C'mon! The guy's an absolute MUTANT... It sucks!" he grumbled.

"Kento don't be crude!"

"I'm not freaky... I'm FIT," Ryo corrected as he entered.

"Can we NOT talk about sex for ONE day?!" Sai snapped in a whisper. "God!"

"Where's Rowen and Nasake?" Ryo asked and munched on half a carrot. Kento hovered around Sai as he was cutting more vegetables.

"Said something about a talk," he replied. "Gimme a carrooot!" Sai stopped cutting.

"'Talk'? NOW?!"

"Dude... I didn't think 'Sake was into that," Ryo stated in shock.

"What are you guys talkin' about?" Kento asked.

"Whenever Rowen 'talks' to a girl, in his room," Sai began. Ryo grinned.

"They're NOT talking," he finished. Kento's eyes lit up in realization.

"He's bangin' her NOW!?"

"SHHHHHH!!" Ryo and Sai hissed.

"Hey, guys..." Rowen greeted as he entered the kitchen. Ryo, Sai, and Kento straightened.

"Hi."

"... Is dinner ready yet?" Rowen asked. "'Sake's not feeling too well..." he murmured.

"In about five minutes..." Sai replied. "Is she all right? She didn't have anything to drink last night..." Rowen shook his head.

"No... It's..." He sighed. "... She won't tell me. She's upset about something at home... I'm trying to convince her to stay the night. I don't want her going back to that apartment..."

"What's up? She got parents that are abusive?" Kento asked and pounded his fist into his palm. "I can remedy that REAL quick-like."

"... She's an orphan. She lives with her... energetic grandmother... The place is... it's not a safe building. And her landlord gives me the creeps," Rowen explained. Sai began to spoon out rice into two bowls and soup.

"Here... Tell her to eat this as quickly as she can and to come out and join us when she's ready to have some fun," Sai smiled.

"Kay... Thanks man..."

"Hey, Ro... You sure you don't want me to, you know..." He pounded his fist again.

"I'll let you know when we have to, Kento..." He left the room and back into his with the tray of food. Ryo sighed.

"Geez, first Tori, now something's wrong with Nasake."

"What's wrong with her?" Kento asked, looking out into the living room where the three remaining girls hacked away and a digital monster.

"WHAT?! DAMMIT! That's so not cool! He's WEAK against water!!!" Tori shouted at the screen.

"She seems fine to me," Kento finished. Ryo leaned against the doorframe and sighed heavily.

"Kento! Don't you DARE eat from the pot!!"

Domo stretched sensually and rolled against Ryu's hard body. Her skin was still hot and slightly damp and the cool sheets clung to her. She smiled and stroked the side of his tanned jaw gently. "... I really missed you," she whispered softly. "... Feels like a whole year's gone by," she added. Ryu leaned up and kissed her softly.

"I have a surprise for you," he said. He reached over to his nightstand and pulled out a silk blindfold. He dangled it over her as she turned over. Domo's eyebrows lifted.

"Well, well..." She sat up. "Five times in forty minutes? Aren't you tired?" she asked a little shocked as Ryu blindfolded her. He ran his hot tongue along the nape of her neck. She winced inwardly as his tongue ran over the bite mark scar from a few days ago. He chuckled softly at her query. "What have you been taking?" she laughed and gasped delightedly as he flipped her on her back, pinning her roughly. She grinned. "Oh, so you wanna play rough, do you?" she purred and sank her teeth a little less than gentle into his throat. She heard the rattling of metal and opened her mouth to ask. He silenced her with a rough kiss, cuffing her to the headboard. Domo moaned softly as the heated tongue left her mouth and trailed a hot path to her throat, and rough hands running all up and down her body. "... You taste so wonderful," he said against her throat. His teeth grazed the skin. "Tell me... if it hurts," he breathed inside a grin into her ear. Her response was incoherent as he slid inside of her. Hands trailed up and down her sides and massaged her breasts. He suddenly thrust roughly in her earning a cry of shock and delight. "More?" he asked softly.

"... Y-yess," she hissed in between sharp thrusts. She chewed on her bottom lip and pulled at her restraints, wanting to run her hands through his hair and snag it roughly. He quickened his pace, her moans growing louder and shorter, then slowed down to an incredibly reduced speed. She growled in protest. "Dammit! Quit... toying with me!" she gasped when he repeated it.

"Hard and fast, my little kitten?" he breathed. Domo wrestled with her bonds.

"Kitten? Damn it, Ryu!" she moaned. "Ohh, god... I'm so close..." She cried out when she felt sharp nails dig into her hips as he snatched them, before lifting her lower body into his lap, and thrust inside of her roughly. Domo hissed in pain as they dug deeper into her skin. "Ow... Ow!" she cried out and thrashed, trying to pull away. A strong hand clamped down on her neck and squeezed. "Ryu! STOP!!" she screamed. She thrashed about again and sent him flying off of her. The force of the blast severed her bonds and she ripped the blindfold off. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" she demanded rubbing her wrist. Deep marks on her hips, oozed blood slowly. She touched her neck. It was bleeding a little too. "Were you TRYING to kill me?! Jesus! Sorry about the meds wise crack-" she looked up and gasped.

Raiko's tail thrashed about wildly as he grinned down at her from the foot of the bed. "Naughty, naughty... You ruined your surprise," he chuckled stretching largely. He saw her eyes widen in the realization of what had been going on.

"WHERE'S RYU?!" she shouted, jumping out of bed and snatching a large shirt. She managed to put it on and back away as Raiko advanced on her right up against a wall. "He is a little... oh, how do I say this?" he began, trapping her against the wall. Domo snarled and went to send a blast of energy into him. He smiled darkly and snatched her wrist. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk... My, my! Rude today, aren't we? Don't you want me to answer your... question?" he asked. Domo slipped away from him quickly and tripped on her own shoes on the floor. Raiko leaned against the wall. "You can't get away. I have warded off this entire floor," he explained calmly as she attempted to open a window and received a nasty shock. "I told you."

"Shut up!!! Why are you doing this?!" Raiko flashed a dark smile and yanked her to him from across the room.

"Because I CAN..." Domo thrashed inside his powerful grip, power completely gone.

"You fucking cat!! Where is Ryu?!" she screamed.

"Why do you care about one HUMAN boy?" he inquired, a little sickened by her dramatic and powerful resolve for her lover.

"Because I LOVE him!" she shouted. Raiko threw her to the floor in disgust.

"Love? LOVE?! Tell me, summoner of Korin... Is your lover blonde by any chance?" he snapped. "Because within the last hour... that is all you seemed to be thinking about..." Domo's eyes widened. Raiko flashed another smile and paced around the room slowly. "Yes, summoner... Your little lover isn't blonde, is he?"

"SHUT UP!!" she screeched. "Get out of my head!!"

"He doesn't have violet eyes..."

"Nooo," she whimpered, head pounding as he forced entry. "Stoop!"

"Or ivory skin..."

"STOOOOP!" she cried. His voice tore into her mind, ripped into her most personal thoughts and the familiar pain ravaged her body again. She fell to her knees, clutching her head in pain.

"Why don't you REALLY see what your LOVE for him is?" he suggested. Domo's eyes shot open as the pain ceased. "You want your lover so much? He's in there." He pulled her to her feet in one swift motion and dragged her to the bathroom door.

The lights came on from underneath the door as she stepped toward it. "He had been a little... 'preoccupied'", he chuckled taking a lock of her hair and inhaling the wonderful lavender scent. "What are you waiting for, my dear?" he asked. She grasped the knob firmly in her hand and ripped it open. She covered her mouth to suppress a scream.

A lifeless hand draped out from behind the curtain, all ready streaked with blood. She found herself stepping inside. The entire flat was silent. "... But there's more," Raiko said with a chuckle. "Have a look, my little kitten," he purred into her ear before ripping the curtain free. The lifeless and pale body of a naked woman lay slumped against the tiled wall, beside her, Ryu.

"You should thank me," he whispered and ran his fingertips along her arms. He grasped them gently. He felt her body quaking in shock. "You should thank me for punishing him for you and this... whore..." Domo opened her mouth to scream again, but no sound came. Raiko chuckled darkly and lifted her into his arms. She put up no restraint as he carried her back to the bedroom. She cried out as he threw her down on the floor. "... Cry if you wish... It excites me," he whispered. Domo closed her eyes and let her body go limp... Nothing mattered anymore...

Sage looked back up at the apartment building for the fiftieth time that hour. He snarled to himself. Every time he went to start the car, he found himself unable to do it. Something kept picking at his mind.

"Oh, for the love of the gods, go up there!" a female voice snapped beside him. Sage jumped with a squeak.

"WAH!!" Dark emerald eyes gave him a questioning stare. One platinum eyebrow arched with slight amusement and confusion. After Sage forced his heart back down from his throat, thumped his head on the steering wheel with a deep sigh. Korin shook her head. "You, Ronin, are by far the most interesting of the nine... You... 'squeak' when you are surprised. I would expect that from Torrent and possibly Wildfire, but you?" she chuckled. Sage flushed heavily and glanced over at her. Instead of the fine regal robes and armor she last adorned, she had on civilian attire: form-fitting blue-jeans, ripped in all the right places, a pristine white fashionable camisole, and a deep forest green accessory scarf tied around her neck, draping over her back. Sage sat straight: (Cute!) Korin's eyebrow rose again.

"... Watch yourself, Halo..."

"S-sorry... What do you want? Can't you see that I'm... wallowing in self pity right now?" he grumbled. Korin sighed.

"Yes, and doing a pathetic job at it. Usually you mortals have this... sad background music with flashes to your heart's desire in another man's arms... You did an excellent job with the rainstorm though," she mocked. Sage crossed his arms.

"I know you didn't come here to critique my unrealistic, pre-climactic, movie scene. What do you want?" he demanded again.

"Why are you doing this to yourself, Halo?" she asked in turn. "She knows of your feelings... however... vague they may be... It VERY obvious that she is attracted to you-"

"Yes, she also is attracted to Sekhmet's ability to tie a knot in a cherry stem with his tongue," Sage interrupted. "Wait... Why do YOU care?"

"Despite my... personal feelings toward mortal... 'love'... I do CARE about my summoner. I'm not like my brother Rekka. No... His mercy will be his undoing one of these days. Just like his summoner..." Korin sat up straight in the seat.

"You still haven't told me why you are here bothering ME." Korin's eyes flashed. Sage stiffened, but with anger. He glared back. Korin closed her eyes.

"I bother whomever I chose, first of all... Secondly... I am worried about her." Sage's face turned from angry to concerned.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"She's not answering my summons. I can't even tell what she is feeling, let alone where she is in this... 'apartment?' Is that what it is called?" Sage rolled his eyes and ignored her question for the more important issue.

"Wait. You can't feel ANYTHING? I thought you both were connected through, you know... EVERYTHING," he said with a blush. Korin stared at him silently, before bursting into soft laughter. She toyed with the scarf around her neck as she watched the city passing them. "Oh, Halo... This is true. I do feel and sense everything. A great deal of it is about you too!" Sage flushed.

"M-ME?!"

"Don't be perverse, boy!" she laughed. "Although it has crossed her mind more than once," she smirked. "And I bet you are as every good as she thinks you are and probably better, but that isn't the point."

"There's a point?" he mumbled. His face was on fire.

"Yes... Since you're meeting with Raiko in the forest... I have been UNABLE to even speak to her like I am with you now... Something is blocking me and the power is great if it can shut me out completely."

"Then how can you talk to me?" he asked. "I thought you went wherever she went."

"This is true; however," she paused. She reached over and buried her hand into Sage's shirt pocket.

"Wait!! What are you doing?!"

"Oh, shut up..." She removed a small, jeweled hair clip. "Recognize this?"

"It's... She wears this when she's in her battle armor, but... how did it-"

"She can't transform... None of them can. We are too far away from the Nether realm from where we originate... I need to talk to her now. Something isn't right and you've felt it too." Sage took the hair clip back and stared at it.

"... She can take care of herself... She even said so... She doesn't need me. She's got Ryu up there," he said with a face. Korin laughed softly.

"True... but you heard Rekka's little apprentice... At this rate, she'll have to deal with a divided love. She needs YOU, Halo. Not some half-witted human with the stamina of a three-toed sloth..." Sage flushed and sighed thinking to himself. He closed his eyes.

"You know... I'm getting a little tired of everyone comparing me to some animal when it comes to my sex drive. YOU especially." Korin rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come off of it, Halo. You know you like it when they tell you you're hung like a bloody thoroughbred stallion... Let's go."

Sage frowned and looked back at Korin from the cover of a lobby shrubbery. "... I don't know how I let you talk me into this! You know we could get arrested for trespassing!? This is a high class place here!" he hissed.

"Yes, with low class scum of the earth mortals that don't deserve salvation from Kurai's wrath. You won't get arrested Halo... maybe if you stop hiding like an idiot and ACT like you live here!" she hissed back and walked calmly out of the small niche. Sage followed her hurriedly. As expected, they were stopped.

"Excuse me. Do you have your residence passes?" a guard asked. Sage grit his teeth.

(Perfect...)

"You, young man... How long have you worked here?" Korin asked.

"Um, six weeks, ma'am..."

"Oh, so then you wouldn't know everyone around here yet, would you? My brother and I have lived in this complex for years! We've never been... 'stopped' before!" The guard straightened and swallowed.

"I-I-I'm just doing my job, ma'am. I get paid to ask and to stop!" he protested.

"Peh. Do you get paid to hound residents too who look a little... relaxed in their weekend attire? I should have you fired on grounds for harassment!" Korin snapped.

"Sis..." Sage gritted out. "Leave him alone. There's no need to get angry!"

"I'm not!" Korin snapped. People were starting to stare. The guard's face flushed with embarrassment.

"Okay! I'm sorry! Please, go onto your homes... I apologize." Sage dragged Korin away by her arm.

"Come along, SISTER, dear."

"Wait! I want him fired!" Korin shouted as they made it into the elevator. Sage pressed the top floor button and waved to the guard with a nervous grin. The door closed with a ding.

"I told you we would be all right," Korin said with a smile.

"Yeah, okay... Jesus... What the hell am I doing!? She's going to kill me for intruding on their little... reunion." Korin shrugged and examined her nails.

"Probably."

"Wait! What the hell do you mean by that!?"

"... Oh, that she'll probably hit you square in the face when you tell her, but you can also tell her about his... 'cousin'."

"What cousin?"

"There isn't one."

"But you just said-"

"For the bearer of the Halo armor you sure are very dense... It's a cover! He's been cheating on her for a LONG time now."

"And HOW do you know this?" Sage demanded. Korin sighed and started looking up at the ceiling of the elevator for something.

"The same way that I know that this elevator is going to stop working in about... three, two, one-"

A loud screeching sound came as the lights flickered and went out. The elevator halted. Korin sighed heavily and snapped her fingers. Soft green balls of light surrounded them. She sighed again when Sage's face came into view. "Oh don't look so surprised and angry. I'm a god for heaven's sake... Help me find a latch."

"Gee. I thought you knew everything," Sage muttered.

"I know someone who is going to have a very bad impotence problem by the time he reaches thirty if he doesn't quit being a smart ass," she shot back and shot open the latch with a bright beam of light.

"Are you supposed to swear?" he asked as he climbed up and out of the elevator. He lifted her out.

"Are you supposed to ask so many questions? Just climb before this thing plummets to the ground floor," she ordered.

"You know... You are both are TOO similar."

"Get used to it, Halo," Korin smirked and followed him up the ladder. "... Hmm..." she began.

"What now?"

"... That is a great pair of jeans, Halo." Sage climbed faster.

"... Rowen," Sai began softly. "I don't think that it's such a wise idea. You might-"

"Sai. I know what I'm doing... Everything will be fine. I just need you guys to take the girls out for about an hour... I don't think that they have any idea. I don't think she wants them too either..." Ryo scratched his head.

"Are you sure, man? That's a really big accusation... What if it's just your imagination? You DO think about kinky things like that A LOT." Rowen frowned.

"Guys, why would I do this if I wasn't positive? She is in some kind of trouble and she won't say a word. All she's gotta do is-"

"Ro calm down, dude... There might be more to it than that," Kento murmured softly. "Just... don't go overboard." Rowen let out a breath.

"Thanks guys... I appreciate this..." He watched them file out of the guestroom and heard them in the living room.

"Hey, let's go out for ice cream!" Kento announced.

"Whaaat? It's raining!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Okay, we'll go see Uncle Chin..."

"Hey, good idea!" Sai beamed.

"What about Rowen and Nasake?" Tori asked.

"Uh... He's got something to take care of with her. I think we should give them some room to breathe," Ryo said softly.

"Oh?! Rowen and Saaake??" Megami squealed excitedly. "Sooo cute!"

"Shh! She'll hear you!" Sai hissed. The chatter and laughing faded into the hall as they left the apartment. Rowen sighed heavily.

"Here goes nothing..." He entered back into his room. Nasake was still fiddling with the telescope in the window.

"Booo... No staars," she pouted.

"There should be some by late this evening. It's supposed to stop raining..." Rowen said and shut the door behind him. He turned the lock from behind his back.

"Where did the others go?"

"Out to get some ice cream or something. I told them to bring you back something... They thought you were still feeling a little sick."

"Yay!! Ice cream!" She flopped down on the bed and laughed. Rowen smiled down at her. She blushed and cradled her head on the back of her arms. "What?"

"Nothing... I just..." She sat up slowly. "I'm just thinking..." he replied softly, remembering the strange occurrence in the hall of her apartment. He felt his stomach churn painfully. Something definitely wasn't right with how things appeared.

"... Rowen?" Nasake began softly. "Can... can I ask you a question?" He lay beside her on his stomach.

"Sure..." She looked straight ahead at the poster of the constellations he had on the wall.

"... Do you like me?" she asked softly.

"Uh, yeah!" he replied with a smile. "I'm talking to you, aren't I?"

"... Th-that's not what I meant... I-"

"I know what you meant, 'Sake..." Rowen hesitantly reached for her hand. His fingers curled around hers slowly. "... I... I do like you. I just... I think you're afraid of me..." Nasake sat up quickly.

"Afraid!?" she laughed. "Why would you think that?"

"... 'Cause I'm a little more... 'active' than you are... Okay. A LOT more active," he corrected and touched her hair. "And... I know how sensitive you are about that kind of thing..." He sat up slowly. "From what Domo tells me... You've never been kissed before..." Nasake lowered her eyes.

"... Y-yeah... Not y-yet," she mumbled. Rowen detected a hint of falsehood in her response.

"Nasake? Are... ARE you afraid of me?" he asked again. She shook her head silently.

"... No. Never." She lowered her eyes. He felt her cringe when he touched her cheek.

"Nasake..." he called softly and lifted her eyes. She tried to look away.

"Do-don't..."

"Why won't you look at me?" he asked softly. His breath tickled her forehead.

"... I feel like I'm being s-swallowed up," she whispered. "It's... overwhelming." Rowen slid his arms around her petite form. She hid her face in the nape of his neck and let out a shuddering sigh. He slipped a hand in her hair and stroked it slowly. He swallowed hard. (Jesus... Forgive me for this, Nasake... But...)

Nasake stiffened as he pulled her hair away from her neck and began to kiss the tender flesh slowly. She lifted her head quickly and made a small whimper as his lips closed over hers. Her eyes widened. She tore her face away and pressed against his chest.

"Wh-what are you doing?" she gasped.

"It's just that you're so pretty, 'Sake. I... I can't stop thinking about you," he breathed and kissed her again. Nasake squeaked and found herself being pinned against the mattress. The weight of his body crushed her down. "Ow, Rowen! S-stop!" she shouted. "Noo!" she screamed as he slid his hand up her shirt, grasping a breast in a painful grip. "Ow! Rowen! What are you doing?!" He licked along her neck.

"Shh, stop struggling. You know you want this... You can stop the innocence bit now. It's getting old," he spat. Nasake pounded his chest as he kissed her, trying to push him off of her.

"W-what?!"

"It was a turn on at first, but come on now, 'Sake," Rowen chuckled. "I'm tired of waiting..." he breathed against her neck.

"Stop it!!! I DON'T want this!!" she shouted. "Get off me NOW!!" she ordered becoming very frightened very quickly.

"Sure you do, sweetie," he purred. The heel of her hand connected with his lip and he snarled. "You little..." he growled and wiped the blood from his lower lip before backhanding her hard. She cried out and tried pulling herself away. "Rowen STOP!!!"

"Shut up!" he snapped hitting her again. "Stop struggling!" Tears spilled down her cheeks. "Don't be such a prude like Tori! God! Get over it! Your virginity's not THAT important!" he snapped angrily. Nasake felt him shift slightly and with one swift motion, she brought her knee into his stomach and pushed him off of her. "OW! You... BITCH!" he coughed. Nasake scrambled off of the bed and to the door. The doorknob wouldn't turn. "NOOOOO! Not again! Please! DOOON'T!" she began to whisper in sobs. Rowen slammed his hand against the door, stopping her from opening it. Nasake pulled on the door again, screaming.

"Nasake!! NASAKE!!" Rowen shouted and trapped her arms at her sides. "Shh! Shh!" he hushed, trying to calm her. "I won't do it anymore! I'll stop! I'm sorry!!" he exclaimed. She struggled in his arms frantically. Her movements kept getting less and less effective. Her body was slowly giving itself up.

"Let goo!" she begged. "Please! Anything!" she cried and sank to the floor, sobbing. "Dooon't!!!" Rowen held her against him and stroked her hair, rocking her back and forth. Nasake whimpered and buried her face in shame.

"Oh, Jesus... I'm sorry!" he gasped, trying not to cry. He had hoped to god that she would have gone along with him that she wouldn't scream. He had wished that it were something else that had been bothering her, something small: nothing like this.

"Who raped you? Who did it?" he whispered against her ear. He kissed her forehead softly. "Tell me... Please..." He felt like a knife was cutting out his heart. "Who... who did this to you?"

"T... Takanawa... Takanawa!" she cried loudly. Rowen cringed at the memory of the middle-aged man with dark eyes. The giant build of him easily towered over the both of them. One good hit was all that man needed for anything he wanted. "Did you go to the cops?" he asked, searching for her eyes. Nasake shook her head quickly. "Why not?"

She whimpered and turned away. "I..."

"Nasake. He RAPED you. It's illegal! You have nothing to fear if he goes to jail!" She shook her head.

"Nooo," she sobbed.

"Nasake... Tell me what happened. Please." She buried her face in his chest.

"... I... I was in e-eighth grade... Sobo had been diagnosed with a liver disease because of all the liquor... She had a transplant. It... it wiped us out... Taka-takanawa threatened to kick us out... unless we paid him the rent money...or give him something else in exchange..." She stopped and looked up at him. "S-so I-" Rowen clutched her body to him tightly.

"You... you didn't..." he whispered. "GOD..."

"I'm a slut!" Rowen grasped her arms firmly.

"Listen to me!!!" he exclaimed. "Don't you EVER say that again!!" Tears threatened to fall from his eyes. "You're not a slut or a whore, or a prostitute!!" Nasake started to cry. Rowen pulled her back into his arms. "You're not any of those things," he whispered. "God, sweetheart, why didn't you tell me?" Nasake didn't answer.

"Don't hate me... I didn't have a choice... S-sobo doesn't k-know... Neither do the girls... Please, please, please, don't tell anyone!!" she begged. Rowen rocked her slowly.

"Sh, sh, sh... Okay, okay..." he whispered. "Shh... How... how long?" Nasake sniffled.

"... T-today... Every... m-month... The c-cops can't do anything... I let him-"

"Sweetheart, it was blackmail!" he said.

"I don't have any money for a lawyer!" she exclaimed. Rowen cupped her face.

"We'll think of something, honey... Tomorrow I'm getting you and your grandmother out of that hellhole. You are staying here from now on!" he said.

"W-what?"

"We'll get the guys to help with the move... We don't have to tell anyone anything... yet..."

"But..."

"I don't want you living there. It isn't safe. I'll go with you tomorrow so you can file to move."

"But what if he claims that we owe him money?!" she exclaimed. Rowen leaned down and kissed her softly and more gently than he had ever done.

"... They don't call me the Ronin of Wisdom for nothing, Nasake... He WON'T. I promise... and if he does... I'll pay the debt."

"HOW?!"

"Dad works for NASA in the States and I'm on a year leave 'for school' from the hospital." Nasake sniffled, her breath was starting to slow down.

"Hospital? What do you do?"

"... Um, nursing," he blushed. Nasake bit back a small laugh.

"... That's a girl's job," she mumbled.

"No it's not!!" he pouted. "It's just... dominated that's all..." He smiled when she began to laugh. He touched her cheek. It was starting to swell. "... I'm sorry I hit you. I... had to make sure..." Nasake kissed him softly.

"... I hit you too," she pointed out. Rowen saw that the corner of his mouth was still bleeding.

"Drew blood too..."

"I'll just say you fell on a doorknob," she said.

"Fair enough," he said. "Let's get some ice on your cheek."

Sage pushed open the elevator doors and pulled himself up. He extended his hand down to Korin and lifted her beside him. "The power is out on the entire building..." he said.

"No, it's just on this floor. They're here." Standing she closed her eyes.

"What are you-"

"SH!" she hissed. He jumped when she reopened her eyes. In the midst of darkness, two emerald orbs pierced the darkness. She whispered in an ancient tongue very articulately. She kept repeating it over and over, until the words ran together in a cycling whisper. Sage looked around him. The hall lights shattered one by one and began to burn a dark green fire, illuminating the hall. Her pointed ears pricked gently.

"They know we are here..."

"Great..." Sage summoned his under gear and started down the hall. He stopped when he realized that he wasn't being followed. "Hey, are you..." When he turned, she was gone. He lowered his eyes before turning on his heel swiftly and continuing carefully down the darkened hall.

Zeal touched to the balcony of Ryu's apartment and saw Raiko with Korin's summoner. She frowned and passed through the glass, her body drying from the violent rainstorm. She saw the young blonde in a restless slumber on the bed beside Raiko who lay beside her. His tail twitched slightly as he took in the sight of his new plaything. He was calmly running his claw up and down the length of her body. "... I see you have had your little bit of fun," Zeal smirked.

"Oh, I'm not quite finished with her yet... Just waiting for the last of the guests to arrive," Raiko purred lightly.

"I take it that you do know that Halo and Korin are here then," she said.

"Of course... She, Halo, and I have... unfinished business," he chuckled. "Care to join me later?" he asked. Zeal scoffed.

"I just came to tell you that Kurai has awakened. He wants them all dead. I am going after the others momentarily..." Raiko stood and stretched.

"Hmm... Where is Talpa?"

"Missing... Managi is gone as well..." Raiko smiled out at the thunderstorm.

"... Excellent..."

A loud thunder crash shot through the building. The green lanterns lit by Korin blew out. (Perfect... I hate fighting in the dark. Where's Cale when you need him?)

"Need a light, Halo?" a voice called from down the hall. At the end, two wall lights sparked dark lavender flames, framing a door. Sage crept towards it slowly, scanning the entire dark hall for any sign of a trap. "This has trap written all over it," he mumbled.

"Correct. Turn back if you want to save your skin... I am sure the young summoner won't mind," he chuckled. Sage swallowed hard. The voice sounded too familiar. Once he reached the door he hesitantly grasped the knob. Instantly, the two lanterns shot out a strong current of dark energy, electrifying Sage until darkness consumed his vision.

Pain. A throbbing pain pounded inside his skull. Sage opened his eyes slowly. (Damn... That really hurt. What the hell happened?) He sat up slowly, half expecting to be bound by some kind of rope or chain. To his surprise, found himself completely free and in full body armor. He looked around. Everything was still dark with the exception of the occasion flashes of lightning outside the large bedroom window. He found himself in the large and lavish apartment's master bedroom; sitting on cold, dark marble. The entire room was illuminated with candles, some small and large, other black, green, red, and white, and some burning to their every last moments. Even with the soft lighting, it stung his eyes, stabbing at the back of his skull. Waiting for the pain to subside, he developed a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach when he found noticed the large bed in the center of the room, dressed in jet black silken sheets.

Upon the sheets, was a pale, soft body of someone sleeping, barely wrapped inside the soft cloth. Sage lifted himself to his feet and moved to the bedside slowly.

"Come any closer, and I fill her with so much venom, your miserable healing won't save her," a voice snapped, halting Sage in his tracks. A figure stepped out of the dark shadows of the room. A flash of lightning revealed his face, baring a fanged smile. Sage stiffened: Raiko.

The gentle form murmured softly and rolled over onto its back, its face to Sage. Sage froze, his violet eyes widening in surprise. The light made his eyes sting even more yet he ignored the pain. Domo lay asleep, naked, with the sheets barely covering her body. Raiko slipped to the bedside with a dangerous light in his eyes, making Sage's hair stand straight with the combination of fear and anger. "So glad that you could join us, Halo... She was so anxious about you," he chuckled and pushed a lock of hair from her face. Sage noticed the deep fang marks on her neck, still bleeding slightly from the venomous penetration. Then he saw him run his claw through her long silk like strands. Sage felt something snap inside of him.

"Leave her alone!!!" he ordered, furious. Raiko didn't even grace him with a glance and resumed his gentle stroking of Domo's hair. Sage felt his muscles tighten and shake upon seeing the wandering hand travel slowly down her body. He unsheathed his no-dachi. Somehow he knew in the back of his mind what he had been planning all along. Sage chose to ignore that side of his mind... Raiko ran the back of his hand along her jaw slowly, then to her slender neck, and over her slightly covered breasts. They grew taught underneath the silk as he brushed his fingertips over each nipple. Domo finally let out a soft sigh and lifted, subconsciously into the warlord's gentle touch, wanting more. Raiko grinned. "... So sensitive, she is... and pretty. I can see why you would make such a fuss..."

Sage launched himself at Raiko and collided with an invisible force field. Raiko didn't look up. "... Tsk, tsk, tsk... I'll have none of that. I can't let you any nearer, Halo. You may look, but not touch," Raiko purred. "Just like you knew about Ryu... 'Tis a shame..."

"Stop it!!" Sage yelled. He slammed his fist against the invisible wall, trying to make some noise. Something loud enough to wake her.

"Yelling won't do you any good... I drugged her with my venom; it isn't dangerous, it just makes you very... relaxed," Raiko smiled. He stared to caress Domo's body again, going lower and pulled away the light fabric slowly, revealing her body completely. Raiko's eyes were fixed on Sage's. Sage couldn't bring himself to look away. He watched Domo sigh again underneath the warlord's touch. Sage slammed his fist again on the mystical wall. "Domo!! Domo-sama!!!! Wake up!!!" he cried, failing miserably. Raiko grinned and slid himself against her.

"Mmn, her skin feels better than silk," he moaned softly, licking him lips and began to lightly kiss all along her body. He dragged his fangs over her skin, nipping at it gently, drawing thin rivers of blood. He smiled in triumph as Domo's soft sighs grew into light moans, and found her hands in his long, lavender locks, pressing him closer. "... More, my little bearer of light?" he breathed against her skin.

"... Yes," she murmured in a deep trance.

"DOMO!!!" Raiko looked up at Sage again as he watched in agony and sheer amazement that this was actually happening. He was very pleased to see him mesmerized by the show. Raiko kissed a path down her body, lingering at her breasts, lavishing them with a hot tongue, earning a pleasurable gasp. Continuing further, Raiko parted her legs gently. She shuddered, eyes still shut. She threw her head back with a moan, her back arching over the bed, hands fisting the dark sheets tightly. "Ohhhh... Ss," she breathed as he lapped slowly at her center. She chewed on her lip, whimpering.

Domo's face expressed pure ecstasy, feeling, enjoying, and wanting everything that Raiko was doing to her. Soft and loud groans floated from her throat, hands gripping the sheets and the long hair of the warlord below her stomach. "God... yess," she whispered. Raiko raised himself up over her and lavished her neck with his tongue and lips. Her long, slender arms held him gently in place, murmuring softly, eyes now half-lidded, but glazed over with a warm green glint. She smiled up at the warlord, reaching up to touch his face affectionately. Raiko glanced over at Sage.

Halo had fallen to his knees watching in shock. "Stop! Stop it!" he kept demanding over and over, slamming his hands and fists in a futile attempt to break the barrier. Raiko was growing weary of Halo's loud voice and sent a nasty shock into him, silencing him and sending him to the ground, writhing in the electrical bonds. "YOU'RE DEAD, WARLORD! YOU HEAR-AGHH!" Sage screamed before another pulse of energy silenced him. His eyes were flaring with murder, but it only served to excite the warlord more. Hot tears flowed shamelessly down Halo's flushed face as the bonds vanished. A haze fell over him. He moaned softly in a daze, finding that he could not move. (I... I can't move... Domo...) His eyes fell back to the bed where he saw Domo gently stroking Raiko's face as he kissed her deeply. Raiko's eyes opened, looking down at Sage, making sure the Ronin was still watching his little performance. A deep chuckle floated from his throat seeing the now darkened eyes of the young Ronin.

"... Please... I need you," she whispered to him softly.

"Show me, kitten," Raiko whispered, kissing her deeply. Sage managed to raise himself against a wall, his breath had become ragged and heavily. He felt so hot. (Wha... what's happening to me...?) He gasped, eyes wide as a wave of pleasure shot from the top of his head throughout his entire body. He shivered beneath the armor and moaned again.

"Something wrong, Halo?" Raiko asked. Sage's eyes rolled over to the bedside again and found Korin's summoner planting soft kisses across the larger man's chest.

"Wh-what did you do... to me, ohhh...?" he demanded through a moan. His body felt so ultra sensitive! Raiko stroked the young woman's slender back.

"What ever is the matter? Don't you... like it?" he asked, through a moan as pale, pink lips closed over a nipple. Sage hissed through his teeth at the sensation. (I... can feel... it?) Raiko bit his lip and tipped his head back as the mouth sought lower, firmer places.

"Of course... H-halo..." Sage felt his hips buck. There was a hot, wet sensation between his legs. It was a feeling he had known before, but never like this.

"S-stop it!!" Sage groaned, trying to will his body to behave.

"Enjoy it, Halo..." Raiko ordered and pinned Domo to the bed again. "You know you want it...

His eyes flashed as he lifted Domo's delicate hips and positioned himself comfortably at her entrance. He slid himself inside her in one smooth glide and let out a hiss of pleasure, burying himself to the hilt. His eyes floated shut as a devilish grin spread across his face. Sage moaned in pleasure and protest. He hated what was happening. He felt everything.

"She's so tight... and... warm!" Raiko gasped and slid slowly in and out of her. His body quaked with pleasure Domo's warm body gave her. He looked his heated gaze down at Halo and only smiled. "Oh, Halo... are you enjoying this?" he moaned over Domo and Sage's softer ones. He broke his eye contact with Sage and bent over her, thrusting quickly into her small body. "Yes, Korin... Yess!" he moaned. Domo was moaning just as loudly in pure pleasure from beneath the warlord, her eyes clouded in ecstasy. She raised her hips to meet each of his seemingly all on their own. "... Don't stop!" she whimpered. "... More..."

Sage felt his eyes close, his head tipping backward. "P-please stop..." he gasped.

Domo moaned in bliss as Raiko thrust into her with enough force to move the entire bed. A fine sheen of perspiration covered their bodies, glistening in the candlelight. From behind the field, Sage had stopped struggling. Rivers of tears tracked down his helmet framed face. It was flushed with excitement and shame because of what he was forced to witness and experience. More so shame because he could do nothing.

"... Oh, god... SAGE!" she moaned. His head snapped up as his name met his ears, eyes wide. She kept repeating it over and over until Raiko thrust on final time and let out a loud moan, emptying madly into the drugged summoner. Sage let out a moan, pleasure tingling in jolts. She came with an echoing cry, followed by Sage's name once again at the feeling of the hot release filling inside of her. She fell limp on the bed, falling into a drugged sleep.

Sage gasped for air, nearly exhausted and emotionally spent. He needed to get up. Raiko pulled out of the blonde only to be greeted with a vicious blast of energy aimed straight at him. It blew him back into the opposing wall. Raiko had just enough strength to block the blast and to see a very angry Sage of Halo. He raised his sword slowly.

"... You are dead," Sage snarled softly in an obvious exhausted voice. Raiko summoned his armor and suddenly appeared behind him.

"Hm, you recovered quickly..." he breathed and shot through the window. His large body shattered it, letting glass and metal fly everywhere. Sage did his best the block the shrapnel from getting to Domo before chasing after him.

The rain plastered his hair to his forehead and neck immediately once he stood out on the balcony. Sage scanned the city below and around for him when a flash of lavender appeared out of the corner of his eye escaping to the roof a few feet above. Sage jumped high into the air and was barely able to deflect energy blast from the feral demon. He skidded on the gravel as he fell to his knees. He heard the rain tink against the metal of his armor and weapon and roar loudly against the gravel covered roof. When he straightened, Raiko drew his sabre and slowly began to circle him. "Interesting... That whole time she thought I... was YOU!" he laughed. "But... why would she think that if she was MADLY in love with that human whelp? Maybe she wasn't?" he suggested.

"Shut your mouth. SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!!" Sage shrieked.

"Or maybe she's just a whore and dreams, desires, and begs for multiple partners..." Sage let out another shriek and swiped the air with his sword, sending a bolt of lightning at Raiko. He deflected it easily.

"... Is that all? Was that the mighty 'thunder bolt cut'?!" Raiko cackled. "Perhaps I can show you how it's SUPPOSED to be..." Raiko raised his sabre high into the air, waiting for something. A bright flash filled the sky, as a large bolt of lightning struck the blade. Raiko hashed at the air and sent the electricity at him. Sage felt his hair stand on end as he barely avoided it. The large bolt traveled past him and into a large building, cleaving it in twine. The ground rumbled as the building collapsed. Sage watched in horror as thousands of lives suddenly ended.

"... And to think that Kurai was worried that we wouldn't be able to get rid of all the humans... well... there's three thousand down... only a few billion more to go," Raiko chuckled. He raised his sword again and aimed at Halo again. Sage gasped lurched wildly to one side, using his sword to block the worst of his own sure-kill. He screamed as current after current shocked his body, bolts of heaven striking him down. He collapsed to the gravel and groaned. Raiko stalked over to him and rolled him over with his armored foot.

"Pathetic..." he hissed. He raised his sword to thrust into his chest. "Your whore will join you shortly in hell..." Raiko raised his arms, but was tackled to the ground by a flash of pure white. Sage sat up slowly and saw the snow white form of Korin shaking her head madly with Raiko's throat in her fangs. Raiko raised his claw and snatched the beast by the throat and ripped her off of him sending her flying in to the generator.

"KORIN!" She lifted her body weakly before collapsing. Her body released a bright cloud and shot towards Sage's sword. It gleamed with a bright emerald.

"(... power to cleave...)" a voice sounded into his head. Sage lifted his sword and stood wearily. He looked at Raiko, throat hanging in shreds, black blood flowing like a river. He gurgled a snarl and raised his weapon to strike again. The sabre absorbed another bolt of lightning and Raiko swung his arm. Sage's eyes narrowed and charged the feral demon screaming. "THUNDER CUTTER!!!" The emerald light cleaved through the electrical energy into nothing and into Raiko with a loud thunder crash. Raiko's eyes widened and dropped his sabre before his body fell in half and burst into dark flames.

Sage fell to his knees and onto all fours. The rain was letting up slightly. Angry, weary, and frightened tears poured hotly down his face and were wiped away quickly into the cooling rain. A warm, wet force nudged his cheek gently and a hot rough sensation swiped over it. He lifted his eyes and saw ancient emerald ones staring at him with, for the first time, admiration and respect. Korin licked his face again.

Well done, Sage of Halo, she said softly. He stood slowly and returned his sword, walking back to the edge and climbing down. Korin limped along from behind and joined Halo inside the apartment. She sat by the window and saw Sage staring at a now awake summoner.

Domo held the sheet to her body. She clutched her head in pain and searched her surroundings. She gasped when she saw Sage staring at her, water dripping off of the gold, ivory, and forest green armor. He removed his helmet slowly. Domo opened her mouth to speak, tears starting from her eyes. He felt Korin take the helmet into her mouth and pad back to the window. His hair dripped with water, holding enough in his hair to reveal both violet and now tear filled eyes. He rushed to the bed and gently took the shivering blonde in his arms. She gripped the surcoat of his elegant armor tightly.

"It... wasn't you... was it?" she whispered in a shaking voice.

"Never," he breathed. He rested his hands on her neck and healed the bite mark without a word. He let out a sigh of relief. He still couldn't push the picture of Raiko raping her... his ray of light. Nor what he experienced... He was startled by a crash of thunder. (How could I let this happen?! If only I had gone up there when I...)

"Seiji-sama?" she called softly. He felt his heart jump. She never called him by that name before. "Take me home..." Sage lifted his eyes to Korin. Tears spilled down his cheeks as her tail swished happily at them. It was a bittersweet victory...

A/N: ::Mwaha!!:: Am I just evil or what? That or just really, really bored... Sorry this took so long... Next chapters will be interesting. No happy endings yet! Nope! EVIL shall befall you all!! :: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA::

You better review you damn elf...


	33. Wrath

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Thirty-Three: Wrath

Nothing but the sound of the rain pelting the windshield and the roar of the motor filled the inside of the car as Sage drove back to Rowen's apartment. He glanced over at Domo, dressed in his own clothing. Because of all the rain and the fighting, the only clothes that were dry were his. Sage didn't mind in the least; he had his sub-armor after all. His only worry was if she would be warm enough in them. He stared at her face, buried into the silken, snow white fur of Korin as she sat curled up in her summoner's lap. She seemed to have fallen into an unresponsive lull, yet her grip upon the smaller wolf held tight. She hadn't uttered a word since she asked him to take her home... She even let him dress her in silence. Ivory-lidded eyes opened slowly and stared up at Sage.

= "... Just drive, Halo..."= she told him. = He said nothing and reached for his phone, dialing. "... Sai? Huh? Y-yeah, I-I know about the building... We're... fine... Listen," he began softly, "Can you head to the pharmacy and pick up a few things? Something happened at the apartment. What?... Oh ... I'm about a half hour away," he said. He glanced back over at Domo with a sigh. Her eyes were open now, but she didn't look at Sage. "... Just restock the first-aid kit and some extra pain medication... What? I... I'll explain later. Please, Sai?" He switched off his phone and looked back at the road: traffic hadn't budged.

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Ryo calmly searched the aisles to restock the first aid at home. He and Tori had offered to make this pit stop before they returned. They had to pick up Mia's photos anyway. He sighed heavily. He had a sinking feeling that the peace and quiet they all wanted wasn't going to last. He snatched up a roll of gauze and set it in the portable basket... then grabbed about fifteen more. "... Good thing Mia's got kick ass credit..." he murmured thoughtfully and cringed when the bill would arrive in the mail... with another bill attachment for large document shipping. Ryo sighed again. "I'm gonna need a bigger basket," and went to get a cart.

Tori frantically examined the seemingly sea of a thousand different bottles of painkillers in the middle of the local pharmacy, thankful that it was open twenty-four hours. "This one's strong, but Domo's got a weak stomach... no... This one's got that safety capsule coating, but you need to take it every four to six hours..." She cursed to herself when she knocked over a few bottles, ignoring the falling tears collecting on the floor.

"Hey, Tori! Did you get the... hey..." Ryo walked briskly over to her and kneeled beside her. "'Ri-san?" Tori dried her eyes and frowned.

"I keep... k-knocking over stuff. I'm so clumsy..." She hastily returned the items to the shelves. Ryo touched her shoulders.

"Tori."

"God... I KNEW something bad was going to happen!"

"Tori!" She fell silent and hung her head.

"I'm just worried about her, 'Yo... I..." Ryo pulled her to her feet.

"I know... We all are." He plucked a box of tissues from a nearby shelf and opened it, drying her cheeks. Tori giggled, taking the tissue.

"You aren't supposed to do that, Ryo..."

"Why not? I'm buying it, aren't I?" he laughed. She glanced into the shopping cart and gasped.

"Ryo?! Did you pilfer the WHOLE shelf?" Ryo scratched his head. "We're only supposed to get more stuff for Rowen's house!"

"Well, we were running out at home, so... I thought we could use some more... stuff? I hope Mia won't have a cow that I used her card... again..."

"Did you restock on your boy scout reserves too?" she giggled, lifting a box of condoms in front of his face. Ryo blushed with a slight frown. He snatched the box and returned it to the shelf, before taking the larger size. Tori blushed as she glimpsed at the box taking full notice of the word 'ribbed' on the side.

"Gotta think of you girls too... Besides," he began over his shoulder, "you grabbed the wrong size..." Tori blushed some more.

"You're such a pervert, Ryo."

"YOU brought up the subject!" he laughed. Tori held up two bottles of the painkillers she was looking at for his inspection.

"Which one? They're both really good..."

"Get 'em both and grab a bunch more," Ryo stated and found an economy size of rubbing alcohol. "Like ten more..."

"Ryo... can we really afford it? Look at it all! They're gonna think we've got hostages or something!" she hissed.

"No, we'll just claim that the end of the world is coming and we're stocking up," he replied calmly and grabbed another bottle. The cart was getting a little full. Tori raised an eyebrow. "What?" Ryo asked. "It's true!" he laughed. Tori sighed and threw the bottles into the smaller basket she carried.

"Hey, don'tcha need girls' stuff?" he reminded.

"Excuse me?"

"You know... tampons, MORE painkillers... fresh pack of 'D' batteries," he said, mumbling the last one. Her cheeks flared brightly.

"RYO!" she squeaked. "... You're confusing me with Mia and Kayura..." Ryo stopped in his tracks.

"KAYURA?" Tori blinked.

"What?" Ryo looked sheepish and did not meet her eyes.

"... She... has one?" he asked softly. Tori frowned.

"Why do YOU care? It's none of your business anyway..." Ryo blushed softly.

"I... I know..." Tori blinked.

"... You like her, don't you?"

"NO."

"Liar..." Ryo blushed again.

"... Little bit..."

"And you haven't TOLD her?!"

"... N-nah... She's gotta thing for Red..."

"Oh, bullshit... I don't recall her making out with him when we left a day and a half ago..." Ryo started unloading the cart onto the sales counter.

"W-well... what about you and Red? Hm?" he defended. Tori's face caught fire.

"What ABOUT him?" she snapped angrily.

"Don't tell me that the little sweet goodbye he gave you was JUST a goodbye..." Tori frowned and turned away.

"... Doesn't matter... Whatever he's sweet to, it isn't me... just someone who I look like," she whispered. Straightening and swallowing a large lump in her throat, she walked away. "I'm gonna go pick up Mia's photos..." Ryo watched her go to the back of the store. The sales clerk gave him an odd look.

"Keeping hostages or somethin'?" he asked. Ryo hung his head with a sigh.

"I wish," he sighed heavily.

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Kayura blinked at another photo that Mia showed her. "... I'm sorry, Lady Mia... None of these are striking any bells about the other four armors. The only thing I can recall is that there IS another armor to be found using the remaining four, but how to acquire it, let alone USE it... I don't know where to begin." Mia stacked the small photos beside the journal.

"I had a feeling you'd say that..." She sat back in her computer chair and sighed. She felt Dais' strong hands start to rub her shoulders from where he stood behind the chair. He ignored the heated glares that Cale threw. "Well, so much for that..."

"We'll think of something, my lady... Don't push yourself too much now..." She smiled up at Dais. Anubis flipped through the pictures and frowned.

"What's wrong, Anubis?" she asked.

"Hm? Oh... Kayura... Are you POSITIVE that these are our armors?" he asked handing her the photograph in question. She peered over his arm.

"... Why?"

"Because these look nothing like ours..."

"... The boys' armor have been changed... Shouldn't ours too?" Dais thought aloud. Mia sat straight in her chair. "Something amiss, my lady?"

"... Hm? Oh, yes... I remember the boys telling me about Suzunagi and what she did... Some kind of test, but they wouldn't say any more than that. It doesn't matter anyway. She was a ghost and Ryo put her to rest. That was years ago though," Mia said.

"Wait a moment," Anubis began. "Kaos said that he created the nine armors using Talpa's armor and the runes..." He set the photos down. "But one disappeared and he had to use himself to finish the process."

"Yes, Anubis. We know that!" Sekhmet gruffed.

"Let him finish!" Kayura hissed.

"... All right... Talpa was unable to sway five of the armors ... WHY?" Anubis asked.

"Because of our demonic heritage?" Cale suggested. "It makes sense that Kaos was able to turn you more easily than us. You're half human."

"Yes, I thought so too," Anubis began, "but think about this. He had possession of which runes? Fire, water, light, earth, and wind... Those all correspond with their elements and the runes have always remained out of evil hands with the exception of one. The darkness rune disappeared halfway through the completion of our armors. That's why Talpa had control over us so easily. He had it. Fou-Lu working for him proved that."

"But, wait. If Kaos had to use himself, wouldn't his spirit be powerful enough to prevent that?" Mia asked. Anubis shook his head.

"No. The man was the guardian of the mortal world... but he wasn't a god... Like Talpa, he had limited control over the powers of the armors."

"What are you getting at?" Sekhmet asked angrily. His head was starting to hurt from all the running around his brain had to do.

"Maybe... maybe the reason our four did not change was because of that link we share with Kaos. Kaos was less than a god, but he still had some power of heaven. Suzunagi was probably able to change them because she was more in sync with the armors. She was once human and probably a representative of some kind... Like they called to her or something like that.... I think that our armor link resides in heaven. Our armors haven't changed and can't be change by someone who isn't from there..."

"So what you're saying is that in order to get stronger and possibly possess Amaranthine is to have the GODS give it to us?" Sekhmet asked after careful thought. Anubis nodded. "Might as well jump into hell and get it over and done with," he muttered.

"I see that your brain still works..." he smirked.

"My fist pounding the side of your skull works too, Halfling!" he snapped starting toward him. Cale and Kayura pushed him back into his chair.

"Sit down," they chorused.

"Boys..." Mia growled.

"... So now what? Get on our knees and pray?" Cale suggested dryly.

"No. We talk to the guardians when they return," Anubis said. "They know something they're not telling us and I'm going to find out what it is. I'm sick of playing mind games..." he frowned. Kayura blinked.

"Let me see if I have this straight... Five of the armors are more in tune with mortals because of human virtues. The remaining four are more in tune with the gods because of Kaos. The boys can summon Inferno. So... then we'll be able to summon Amaranthine because-?"

"Amaranthine is Heaven's Inferno," Mia answered.

"YEP!" Anubis smiled. Kayura rolled her eyes.

"I could have thought of that!!"

"I'm sure you could have, my lady," Sekhmet said sweetly to her and patted her head. She elbowed him.

"Do shut up..."

Mia stood up and stretched. "Now that we've got a relatively decent hypothesis, we can all get some sleep." She yawned. "Good night, every one."

"Good night, my lady," Dais and Cale chorused. They glared at each other silently. Anubis blinked and turned to go.

"That was a little too creepy..." he murmured to Kayura as they left the study together. She nodded in agreement.

"Oh, how is that baby bird you found?" she asked and followed him into living room.

The night before Anubis had made a small bed for the tiny creature inside a shoebox Mia had given him. He had tried to get it to eat something for over half of the night. He left it in the living room on the coffee table. It was the warmest room in the house. He sat on the couch and took the box. "I checked on her earlier. She seemed to be doing fine. Nothing is broken, but she won't eat from my hand." Kayura leaned on his arm as he gently uncovered the bird.

Small black beaded eyes opened slowly. Kayura smiled. "It's so cute..." The small bird stood as he lifted the towel gently from her back. He smiled when she flapped her wings. He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods... It didn't look like she would make it though the night. The poor thing flew into the window. Scared me half to death!" Kayura extended her hand and the bird hopped onto her finger. It chirped. Anubis frowned.

"She bit me the last time I tried that," he pouted.

"It's because you're a boy," she smiled.

"That's stupid."

"... I was joking. She's probably afraid of you... Birds and other animals can sense things... You probably were thinking about something else that she didn't like..." Kayura explained and walked to the window. She opened it slowly with one hand with the bird still on her hand. Anubis followed her to the window. "Think she'll be all right?" she asked him.

"... The rain stopped finally... Actually, I think she lives in the birdhouse in the garden. Lady Mia said that a family of red ones made a home in it just recently," he said. Kayura took his hand and gently set the bird on it. It chirped and cocked her head at him. He smiled and extended his hand out the window. It took flight. Kayura hugged his arm.

"... Now what were you thinking about just now?"

"E-excuse me?" he sputtered.

"Tell me!" she laughed. Anubis sighed.

"... I was wondering how I was going to apologize to Tori about the other day..." He frowned when Kayura beamed. "What?"

"OHHH, nooothing!" she sang. Anubis stared out the window and tried to ignore it.

"You... don't understand," he said softly; his face more concerned than annoyed. "She... What I did was... inexcusable. I shouldn't have even been thinking about Zeal... The resemblance is so strong... Gods... The way she looked at me... what she said... those tears... I... I'm an idiot," he murmured. He reached up at touched the cut on his cheekbone. Kayura thought for a moment then smiled again.

"I have an idea!"

"What?! No, I'm not listening to your little schemes... I bet it's got something to do with getting us together," he grumbled.

"It does not!" she snapped. "Now shut up and listen!" Anubis covered his eyes.

"If this is what I think it is, Kayura, I swear-"

"Shut UP and listen!!!"

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Nasake removed the ice pack from her cheek as she and Rowen lay on the couch while listening to the gentle patter of the rain. "Rowen? Um, how are we gonna convince Sobo to leave? She's so stubborn..."

"Put it back on your cheek," he ordered. He sighed. "... Hm... You can tell her that the building has been condemned."

"It has been... a couple of times..."

"Rat infestation?"

"Pierre killed one late last week..."

"Who's Pierre?"

"My poodle. Don't laugh. I like that name!" she pouted.

"I wasn't!" he laughed. "...You could always tell her the truth." Nasake fell silent.

"... That's not a good idea. I don't think her heart could take it..."

"You could tell her that you found a better place to stay, but you'd have to stay here for a little while until the paperwork goes through..." Nasake thought for a moment.

"Yeah... that could work... and she kinda likes you anyway,' she giggled. Rowen paled.

"No offense to her and all, but... she's kinda creepy."

"ROWEN!" she laughed.

"She grabbed my ass, 'Sake. I know I'm irresistible an' all..."

"Uh huh." She rolled her eyes. Nasake squeaked when he kissed her fully. She stiffened and like clockwork, she relaxed and pulled his body onto hers. She felt him smile against her mouth. He pulled his mouth away. "You were saying?"

"What? I said 'uh huh'. I was agreeing with you!" Rowen rolled his eyes as she did.

"Uh huh..."

"Hey!" she laughed. She pushed him off of her with a jolt when she heard the keys outside the apartment. "Are they back?" Rowen sat up.

"Only Sage has a key..." He kissed her cheek as he stood.

"... Watch your head," Sage said softly as he carried Domo inside. He stopped suddenly when he saw Rowen. "... I... didn't know where else to bring her," he whispered. "What happened to your lip?" Rowen touched it. It was still bleeding.

"Never mind that. What happened?" he asked when he saw his best friend in his sub-armor. Sage shook his head.

"I'll explain later... The others should be on there way too..." Nasake gasped at her catatonic friend in Sage's arms. "Nasake... can you get a hot bath ready for her?"

"S-sure!"

Rowen was about to latch the door when he heard scratching. He opened it and Korin limped inside. "What on earth happened out there?!" he breathed. Korin looked up at him with sad eyes, before following Sage and Nasake into the bathroom.

Nasake brought a warm and soapy washcloth to Domo's back and washed it gently. The older girl sat inside the tub with her knees pulled against her chest. She hadn't said a word. "... Want me to make you something to eat for later? Sai made some yummy soup," Nasake said softly. Domo shook her head. She watched her hair float in the water silently. There was a soft scratching at the door. "Who's there?" The scratching came again. Nasake opened the door and Korin stepped inside. Her left leg had been bandaged. "You wanna talk to her alone, huh?" she asked. Korin nodded. "Come get me if you're hungry, 'kay?" Korin padded over to the tub and shape shifted into her human form.

"... It wasn't your fault for being fooled," she said and started to wash her summoner's skin. "We all were..."

"He... he killed him..." Domo breathed. "Ryu... He's..."

"I know..." Korin took a towel and wrapped Domo in it warmly as she stepped out.

"I can't remember... everything. It's a blur... I just remember Sage and I... but it wasn't him..." Korin brought another towel to her face and brushed tears off her cheeks.

"Your mind manifested him to try and handle what happened... Your reaction was purely the cause of the poison in your system..."

"But... I was thinking about him before he bit me... I..." Korin smiled softly.

"Perhaps you have more room in your heart for Halo than Ryu. It isn't a bad thing if your feelings about someone change... The bad thing would be lying to yourself about them..." Domo fell silent.

"I can't with him... not... now," she whispered. "What Raiko told me... I..." Korin pulled Domo against her gently.

"Take your time, my lady..."

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"We're back!" Ryo called as he and Tori lugged the bags into the apartment. Sai greeted them with a soft hush.

"Nasake's trying to sleep... Kento took Megami and Sakura home. Their parents are probably worried about them after the panic..." He took the bag from Tori.

"What about Domo?" she exclaimed almost a little too loudly.

"Shh... She's all right. Korin is looking after her. They've been in the bathroom for about an hour. Tori turned to Ryo.

"I'm staying here," she said defiantly. "I'm not leaving her... Damn that Ryu!" she hissed softly. Sai gave Ryo a look. "What? What was that look for?" she demanded.

"Ryu is dead," he murmured softly. "Sage hasn't told me the whole story. He found him and another girl dead... He didn't say how... or what else happened... Domo is practically catatonic... and Sage," Sai didn't finish as he helped unpacked the bags in the kitchen.

"Think it's Dynasty related?" Ryo asked. Tori rubbed her arms.

"I hope not..."

"All I know is that Sage came back in his armor, Domo was pretty banged up, Korin was limping-"

"Korin's here?!" they exclaimed.

"Yeah... Anyway, whatever happened... I'm sure that we won't be seeing the last of it... It could be Zeal or even Kurai..." Sai finished. He pulled out several rolls of gauze. "... He said to restock, not plunder..."

"... We were running out of stuff at home... I got carried away," Ryo mumbled guiltily. Sai smiled softly... until he pulled out a questionable box. He held out his hand and frowned.

"Give me the credit card," he ordered. Ryo pouted and gave up the card. "I can't believe you! Rowen has an entire cabinet full of them at home!" he hissed. Ryo blushed.

"But they're too small!" he practically whined. "It hurts..."

"Then borrow Kento's or Sage's," he snapped. Tori put herself in between them and dug into her pocket.

"Ah cool it, Sai. Here. I bought them. How's that?" she sighed, taking the box and hitting Ryo gently in the chest with them. She handed Sai a wad of bills before digging into the bag, pulling out a box of pocky and heading to the bathroom in the hall. She found Sage sitting by the door meditating.

"Seiji-kun?" she called and sat beside him. She saw the minor scrapes on his cheek and arms and swallowed. Parts of his body appeared severely bruised. He opened one eye.

"... Hey." Tori wrapped her arms around his waist. "Tori?"

"Thanks..." she sniffled. Sage sighed and touched her hair comfortingly. He said nothing. He hadn't told any of the others what had exactly happened. Tori smiled. "Ooh. You smell good!" she laughed. Sage chuckled softly.

"... Did you get all the things I asked for?" Tori nodded.

"I think we maxed out Mia's card... Pocky?" she offered.

"... No thanks..." Sage pulled his knees to his chest.

"What happened?" Tori asked. Sage lowered his eyes.

"... I was sitting in my car when Korin showed up out of nowhere. She said that she lost contact with Domo and wanted to check on her." Sage sighed. "... When we got up there... There was a trap."

"TRAP?"

"Shh!" he hissed. "I don't want to worry the others... I'll tell you because you're her best friend... It was Raiko... He... had drugged her and... I couldn't stop him from," he fell silent. A solitary tear rolled down his flushed cheeks. She grasped his arm.

"He... r-raped her?" Tori asked in a shaking voice. "Is... does she re-remember?" Sage shook his head and raked his hands through his hair.

"N-nothing. She knows what was going on, but... He tricked her... Ryu is dead. I found them in the bathroom."

"Sa-sai told me..." Sage slipped an arm around her. "Did you kill him?"

"... Yeah. I don't know how he came back. Sekhmet crushed his skull... I saw it..."

"So we dunno if he really is gone..." Sage leaned his cheek against her hair.

"I wasted him to a pile of ash. He BETTER be..." he chuckled. Tori closed her eyes and listened to the gentle rain on the rooftop. Sai and Ryo's low voices were heard in the living room and kitchen, but she couldn't make out anything coherent. It was a long while before she spoke again.

"... You love her a lot, don't you?" she asked.

"... Y-yeah," he whispered solemnly. "... It's the only explanation for that crazy rescue operation... Kento's bad habits are rubbing off on me..."

"You sound as if it's a bad thing... Helping her 'cause of how you feel..."

"It is when your love is one-sided. It's selfish and... pathetic... especially when you know that they care for someone else. It makes you do crazy things... You can't help it..." Tori looked down at her socks and swallowed.

"Y-yeah... You're probably right."

The door suddenly opened and Domo stepped out slowly with Korin by her side. Tori scrambled to her feet and almost knocked Domo off balance with a large hug. She started to cry. "Dummy!" she cried. "I told you not to go out and party with out me!" Domo pulled her arms around her back and closed her eyes.

"... S-sorry... You didn't miss much," she said with a hint of a smile. Tori stood straight and frowned.

"Like hell! No one's allowed to beat you up except me... and... Sage!" she said in between tears. Domo stuck out her tongue with a frail smile.

"You couldn't even if you tried." Tori dried her eyes and looked at the box she held.

"I bought you Pocky... on sale..." she mumbled. Domo's face lit up.

"Orange???"

"S'good..." Tori sighed heavily and banished her tears. "I'm gonna go help Ryo and Sai unpack s'more..." She leaned close to her ear. "Sage's been waiting here a while... He was really worried..." Domo just stayed silent. Tori turned to the tall platinum blonde girl standing beside her. "Wow... You're Korin???"

"Yes..." she smiled. Tori blinked.

"... Who does your eye make up? It's awesome!" she beamed. Korin flushed as Tori dragged her into the living room. Domo shook her head.

(She got over that quickly...) She swallowed when she and Sage were left alone. He held out a shirt and a pair of boxers for her shyly.

"Here... They're mine. It's not much, but they're warmer than that towel you have on," he said softly with a blush. Domo took them silently. She was a little shocked to see him turn to go.

"Seiji-sama?" she called. He turned.

"... Is... is it all right if... I stay the night with you? I don't feel... comfortable being by myself tonight," she said, blushing with shame. "Just for tonight, though..."

"... Sure. I-I understand..." Domo smiled softly.

"Hot damn! Nice dress, Domo!!" Kento called and entered the hallway. Domo jumped and blushed. Sage frowned.

"I'm gonna kill you, Ken-" She squeaked when he encircled his arms around her.

"Megami and Sakura told me to... Don't worry. I won't grab your butt," he said softly.

"Do it and I'LL kill you," Sage smirked. Kento backed off with his hands in the air.

"I feel ya... Chill, dude," he laughed. "Domo, we got you some ice cream in the freezer from this kick ass shop."

"Thanks, Kento-kun." She kissed his cheek before he retired to his room. She did the same to Sage before going to the bathroom to change.

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Rowen slipped out of bed careful not to wake Nasake. He blinked at the clock: a little after midnight not that he cared. He couldn't sleep anyway. He heard lowered voices from the direction of the kitchen and decided to investigate.

"... Geez... You think he bought enough?" Kento gaped as he and Sai sorted from the large stock Ryo and Tori had brought home into two duffel bags. Sai chuckled.

"Well, not unless you keep getting hurt in silly accidents at home..." Kento pegged Sai in the forehead with a bag of cotton balls. "Hey!"

"Not my fault Yuli leaves a death trap outside every bedroom door... Damn army people hurt my feet!"

"Shh! You'll wake the two love bunnies," Sai hissed softly, indicating to the couch where Ryo and Tori had crashed with an afghan. Kento blinked.

"Wait. What?" he asked. "'Love bunny'? What's with everyone using the word bunny after everything? Why can't you use... I dunno... 'love kitty' or 'love monkey'?"

"'Love MONKEY'? What are you talking about???" Sai asked.

"Ryo an' Tori... OW!" A coaster had smacked him in the back of the skull from the direction of the couch. Kento growled and glared at Ryo. (Deadly aim... Damn freak...) He glared back as he lifted Tori in his arms and carried her to his room.

"I told you that you were too loud,' Sai warned.

"What is UP with those two?? I thought he had a thing for Kayura?"

"... Dunno. I try not to ask anymore..."

"Mnn... Hey guys," Rowen greeted. "What're ya doin'?" He yawned and slumped into a chair beside them. "Whoa... That's a lotta cotton balls."

"Ryo and Tori went on a shoppin' spree," Kento replied. "Pocky?"

"Nah..."

"Rowen! What happened to you lip?!" Sai hissed. Rowen flushed and touched it.

"O-oh... I uh... fell on a doorknob." Hardrock and sai blinked, looked at each other, blinked again, and turned to him.

"Bullshit," Sai and Kento chorused. Rowen swallowed hard. "What happened?"

"Nasake..." he mumbled guiltily.

"The hell did you do?" Kento asked.

"... I uh... got a little rough." Shame crept across his cheeks. Sai's mouth dropped open.

"You HIT her?!"

"DUDE!" Rowen winced at their raised voices. He just nodded silently.

"WHY?!" they exclaimed

"... She... wouldn't tell... me..." Rowen whispered softly. "She... God," he didn't finish and held his head in his hands. He sniffled and wiped away angry tears with a frown. "He... he RAPED her..." he gritted out.

"Who?" Sai said softly. "What happened?"

"That god damned landlord!" he snapped, throwing the chair aside. "He fucking raped her!!" He slammed his fist against the wall with an angry cry and sank to the floor. "Dammit! God dammit!!" he shouted. Sai knelt beside him and touched his shoulders. Rowen wrenched away. "Get off me!!" he ordered and leaned his forehead against the wall. Sai backed off almost immediately.

"... Rowen... calm down," Sai said. "You'll wake her..." Rowen's back hitched suddenly and he started to weep for a few moments before pulling himself to his feet. He made his way to the front door.

"Dude! Where are you goin'?! It's midnight!" Kento called.

"... Out," Rowen hissed slamming the door behind him.

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Takanawa lit a cigarette and tossed a wad of bills at his midnight companion. He laughed at the younger girl as she scrambled for it. "Heh, heh. Fetch," he sneered, brushing his long dark hair out of his eyes. He stretched back across his bed and took a long drag of his cigarette. The girl slid against him and dragged her nails across his bare chest lightly. "Can I call you?" she breathed into his ear, nibbling on the lobe gently.

"Don't expect me to pick up," he laughed.

"Oh, don't be like that," she said gently. He turned to her and blew a plume of smoke in her face. She coughed loudly and yelped went he threw her to the floor.

"Is that better?" he hissed. "Get out." She picked herself up and pulled on her clothing quickly.

"Got a phone?"

"... Hurry up," he answered, pointing to it. She picked it up.

"... It's dead. Maybe if you didn't spend all your cash elsewhere you could pay your bills on time," she hissed. Snarling, he grabbed her by the hair and put his cigarette out on her cheek. "Get the fuck out!!" he yelled, dragging her to the front door and throwing her into the hall. She hit the wall with a whimper as he slammed the door. Takanawa ripped the phone from the wall and hurled it at the door with an angry cry. It shattered. "Fucking bitch..." He lit up another cigarette and pulled on a pair of jeans. He went over to his beside and stared at the board on the opposite wall. He smiled darkly and put out his cigarette. "Time to pay the phone bill, Miss Nasake," he chuckled and opened his side table drawer.

He went to pound on the apartment door when he found it slightly ajar. He grinned, mentally proud of himself for procrastinating to get some of the doors fixed. Takanawa opened the apartment door farther, finding darkness greeting him. At first glance, no one appeared to be at home. Every light had been switched off; they had either gone to bed or weren't at home. He was about to leave when he heard soft music playing gently from one of the bedrooms. From the look of things, it seemed like the old hag had gone out for the evening. (Or is passed out from drinking,) he chuckled. His smile grew wider when he found her bedroom empty with the exception of that rat of a dog on the bed asleep. He shut it silently and crept down the hall. He licked his lips, breathing growing heavy with the sheer excitement. He pushed open the door at the end of the hall, catching his breath in his throat as he saw a silhouette underneath the bed sheets. He casually tossed away his shirt and crawled on top of the bed. He was about to rip off the sheets when the light turned on. "Sorry, but I like it better with the lights on," Rowen snarled and ripped Takanawa off the bed and into the wall.

Takanawa snarled and clutched his head as he stood. The lights went out and felt a hand snag his long dark hair and a fist in his stomach. He doubled over and coughed loudly, groaning in pain.

"Get the fuck up, you sick bastard..." Rowen ordered. He kicked him over onto his back. "I said get the fuck up, asshole!!" he roared. Takanawa snarled as something heavy and made of metal crushed his left wrist. He looked up and saw dark cerulean eyes glaring down at him through an armored faceplate. The metal gleamed dangerously in the streetlights and paled at the sight of the angry, vengeful eyes "Wha-what the hell are you?!" he screamed. Rowen snatched him by the throat and pinned him against the wall with one hand. Takanawa clawed at the armored clamp and kicked frantically.

"You want to breathe, don't you?" Rowen hissed. He eased up on his iron grip slightly for an answer. "DON'T you?" he repeated, grabbing his crushed wrist and squeezing. He hissed.

"Y-yes!!" he gasped. He looked into Rowen's eyes. They were no longer angry. Instead they were empty. It didn't take nearly any effort for Rowen to pull on his wrist to dislocate his entire arm. The screams echoed through the apartment until they were cut short by armored fingers constricting his throat sharply. Rowen calmly dropped him to the carpet, ignoring the gentle piano ballad and the whimpering from the man at his feet.

"Who... Why are you-GAH!" Rowen buried his armored heel in his stomach.

"... Let's go outside, shall we?" he inquired in monotone and shattered the bedroom window with a fist.

"What are you crazy?! What the fuck's wrong with you?!" Takanawa exclaimed as Rowen held him by the edge of his jeans. Rowen dragged him over the shards of glass and up the fire escape to the roof. "HELP!! SOMEONE!!!"

"... Think about where you are," Rowen murmured and tossed him onto the gravel-covered roof. "No one comes to 'help'... not in your line of work..."A cigarette lighter and a pack fell out of the back pocket. Rowen kneeled down to pick them up.

"These can kill you... then again... so can I," he said calmly. He saw Takanawa's eyes grow wide.

"What the hell have I done!?" he exclaimed. Rowen opened the lighter, igniting the flame with one swipe of his hand, and then closing it with the return path several times. He said nothing; he only stared at him blankly. Takanawa tried inching away from him, dragging his limp, battered arm. "Don't kill me, pl-please... I haven't done an-anything-" Rowen shut the lighter with a quick snap, silencing him. He snagged a handful of hair sharply and opened the lighter again, a large flame growing from the barrel.

"... Is this what you like to do to her?" Rowen whispered, lightly burning small patches of hair. Some strands flared up quickly. The stench of burning hair surrounded them quickly. "Burn her hair?... Her skin?!" he snarled and let some flaming fuel drip onto his chest. Takanawa squirmed painfully. He cried out when Rowen slammed his head into the ground. "Shut up..." He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He blew a plume of smoke in his face. Takanawa winced as the fumes burned his eyes. Rowen examined it. "These things are disgusting... Thank go I quit..." he said calmly. "I don't wanna litter... let's see..." He grabbed a handful of Takanawa's hair. "Open up, garbage."

"Wh-what?" he breathed.

"Open that shit hole you call a mouth!" He twisted his shoulder and Takanawa opened it hesitantly. Rowen smirked and set the stub on his tongue. "SWALLOW." He obeyed and groaned in pain.

"Please... stop..." Rowen tossed away the lighter and slapped his face.

"Why?" he asked, hitting him again. "Why should I?!" He struck him again, bleeding his nose.

"No more!" he pleaded. Rowen picked him up by his hair and shoved him against the smaller structure leading down back into the apartments. Takanawa fell to the ground. Rowen made a small laugh in disgust. "How does it feel? To beg... beg like a dog?!" he demanded. "To be humiliated..." Takanawa leaned huddled against the wall. He looked up into Rowen's face. The faceplate slid away. His eyes widened.

"Y-you..." Rowen banished his armor and snagged his hair sharply. (I don't need my armor to take care of this asshole...)

"Yeah... ME..." He presented a switchblade to his throat, pressing hard enough to draw blood. "... And I'm just getting started," he hissed. Takanawa's fear melted instantly.

"So it's about little Miss Nasake, is it?" Rowen snarled and stabbed the blade into Takanawa's hand. He howled.

"I see you CAN think with out your dick," Rowen sneered. He snarled when a fist popped out and hit him square in the jaw. He stumbled backward.

"Battery? Assault? Trespassing? Attempted murder?" Takanawa gritted out with a smile. "I'm gonna get you put you away for a long time, you little shit." He stood warily and clutched his shoulder. Looking at the wall beside him, he slammed his shoulder into it, reconnecting it with a sickening crick. He snarled loudly.

"I doubt that..." Rowen frowned.

"What do you want, kid? To rough me up? Teach me a lesson? Or perhaps get a few... tips? Hm?" he laughed. Rowen frowned.

(What the hell? Just a second ago this guy was shaking in his boots...)

"She is a little wildcat, you know... Does everything juuust right... And that tight little body... Once a month keeps her from getting too loose."

"Shut your mouth..."

"What? I am just supplying you with... tantalizing information, son..." He stooped down and whipped out a semi-automatic pistol from a holster underneath his jeans and aimed it at Rowen. He chuckled looking down the barrel of his gun. "You know... she likes it when I fuck her with the pistol... Cold barrel against that wet, hot flesh... She LOVES it..."

"Shut up!" Rowen ordered; his body was shaking with anger. (Why did I take my armor off?! Damn it...) Takanawa fired the gun in the air.

"I don't think you're in the position to give me orders anymore. How 'bout you drop the knife," he sniffled, wiping the blood from his nose. Rowen snarled and let it slip from his fingers. "Now that I know you're human with some freaky ass powers... A lotta weird shit's been happening since that attack four years ago. Iced me a lotta metal bozos like you... I wonder if you'll turn to smoke too?" he laughed pointing the gun again. He fired...

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Nasake bolted upright in bed gasping. She looked around for Rowen and found her beside empty. "Rowen-kun?" she called. She slipped out of bed. (Where did he go?)

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Rowen cried out another bullet ripped through his thigh. Takanawa smirked. "Hm... You bleed... Shoulda killed me when you could have, freak." He fired again at Rowen's shoulder. He stepped over him and pressed the gun to his chest. He sat on Rowen's hips and smirked.

"Well equipped I see..." he whispered softly, grinding gently. Rowen snarled, thoroughly sickened. "I bet you'd beg for it just like she does... She comes willingly you know... and boy does that girl come," he sneered. "How 'bout one more go before meeting your maker, hm? I usually don't do guys..."

"Fuck you," he gritted out. Takanawa's brow twitched before he fired into Rowen's chest. Rowen's eyes widened and his mouth hung open, blood starting to pour from the opening. Takanawa sighed.

"Miss Nasake knew better... Pity... Fucking the both of you would have been nice." Takanawa leaned his hand on his elbow as he watched Rowen gasp. "You know... I'm getting kind of tired bank rolling two apartments. Perhaps I should just kill that old hag and let Miss Nasake stay with me to work of her debts... What do you think I should do?" he asked.

Rowen snatched his throat in a shallow grip and in one motion he grabbed the knife at his side, slashing open Takanawa's throat. Blood gushed from the opening and down Rowen's arms and body. The gun fired several times in an uncontrolled fashion, several bullets embedding into Strata's body. Takanawa slumped to the gravel, twitching madly gasping for air much like a dying fish out of water before falling still. Immediately summoning his sub armor, he shoved Takanawa off of him, gasping and heaving loudly. He rolled onto all fours and stood wearily. "... Go fuck yourself," he hissed. "Shit... One, two... Damn... Eight bullets... Fuck..." He sank to his knees and felt his vision blur.

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"NO!" Sage gasped, jolting up in bed. His scream roused Domo from sleep. Sage let out a breath and held his head in his hands, trying to regulate his breathing.

"... Sage?" Domo murmured. "What's wrong?" She sat up, concerned when he gave no reply. He lifted his head.

"It's nothing... I... nightmare," he whispered. He slid out of bed slowly. "I just need some air..." He kissed her hair softly and touched the long locks gently. "Go back to sleep, all right?" She watched him leave the room. Korin lifted her head and jumped on the bed. Domo shook her head.

Sage met the others in the hall, not at all surprised to see them. "Did you guys feel that too?" he asked. "Where's Rowen?" he asked.

"He left in a rage..." Sai murmured.

"What happened?"

"... He found out why 'Sake's always getting uneasy around us... Someone raped her," Kento replied softly. Ryo and Sage's eyes widened.

"And you let him go?!" Ryo hissed. "Are you nuts? You know how hot headed he is!! He's worse than you!" Kento frowned.

"What the hell are you yelling at me for?"

"Enough!" Sai hissed. "We have to go find him... He might-"

A noise silenced him as something crashed in the kitchen. "What the hell was that?!" Kento hissed.

"Burglar?" Ryo suggested.

"I doubt it..."

"A ghost?" Sai asked. Kento froze and ducked into his room returning with a baseball bat. The others gave him an odd look. "What? We can't bust out in our armor, duuuh..." They shoved him forward.

"Then YOU can go first," they whispered. Kento frowned.

"Pansies..." Kento swallowed hard.

He crept through the house slowly and silently, the others following him closely. He slipped next to the kitchen door and looked back at the others. They shooed him silently. Kento swallowed hard. (MAN. I freaking hate ghoooosts...) He took a deep breath and rushed into the kitchen. "Okay, jerk off! Drop the food and no one gets hurt!!!" He froze when he saw a masked face.

"WAHHHHH! It's a ghooooost!"

"Ghoooost? Where?!" Nasake screamed and dropped the broom. Kento screamed again and the others rushed in. "WHOA!"

"Where?! Where's the ghost?!" she exclaimed. She stopped when she saw Kento sitting on the ground, hiding behind the bat. The others stared at her in surprise, then laughed.

"Kento! You wuss!" Ryo laughed.

"Some ghost!" Sai chuckled. Sage just shook his head and helped him to his feet.

"Get up, you retard. Nasake's your ghost!" Kento turned slowly and swallowed. Ryo flipped on the light. A white night mask covered Nasake's face. Kento stepped closer and blinked before touching it. It smelled like coconut. He licked his finger. "Hey!! It's coconut!" he smiled.

"KENTO!" they laughed. Nasake went to the sink and washed her face.

"You scared me!!" she snapped. "And what's with the bat?!" Kento hid it nervously.

"S-sorry..."

"What are you doing up?" Ryo asked. Her stomach growled loudly. She blushed.

"I didn't eat anything... Where's Rowen? He was gone when I woke up." They fell silent and looked at the ground. "Guys? What-"

The front door crashed open with a bang, startling them from their spots. Kento gripped the bat nervously, looking around quickly. "W-w-w-w-what was that?!" Nasake rolled her eyes.

"You guys are awfully jumpy..." She walked out into the hall and screamed. "ROWEN!"

"Oh shit!!" Kento exclaimed, seeing all the blood pool out onto the tile. Nasake pulled his head into her lap.

"What happened?!" she whimpered.

"God," Ryo choked out; his throat seemed to constrict. Rowen lay in a half conscious state, mumbling unintelligibly. Sage moved forward on unsteady legs and gaped not knowing where the blood started or ended. He tore open Rowen's shirt, revealing three bullet wounds to the chest. "Shot!?" Sai gasped, tears rising from his eyes. "Sage, do something!" Sage covered his chest with his hands, immediately closing his wounds. Rowen coughed up a mouthful of blood. Instincts taking over, Sai and Kento rolled him onto his side, clearing the airway.

"What's going on?!" Tori exclaimed and rushed into the hall.

"Rowen!!" Domo exclaimed.

Nasake sniffled and dabbed at Rowen's forehead with a cool cloth as the young man slept on his bed. The clock chimed six in the morning "He's lost a lot of blood," Sage murmured. "We need to get him to a hospital," he added.

"And tell them what? 'Oh, 'scuse me, nurse, my friend's been shot EIGHT times. We don't know how or why. Please help him!'" Ryo hissed. "Do you know what we'll have to deal with? Cops."

"Ryo," Tori warned. "He could die..."

"I know that... But we don't have time to mess with them... It might make things worse..."

"Ryo, he needs medical attention!" Sage argued. "I'm not going to let him die just because YOU'RE afraid of the police!" he snapped.

"STOP FIGHTING!!" Nasake pleaded. "It won't do any good to yell at each other!! Please!! He needs help!!"

"Oh, stop shouting!!" a voice ordered. Nasake jumped with a yelp. Ryo and Sage turned and found Korin standing beside a taller man, dressed in sleek black armor similar to her own. Dark indigo blue hair matched the clock draping off of his shoulders. His bandana and belt glistened in the morning sunlight. An angry look silenced them. He walked across the room to Rowen's bedside. "Honestly, you mortals are awfully loud for such weak creatures..." He looked down at Rowen and sighed. "My, my... Strata you are so brash sometimes... Running off in the name of love... What a pain." He turned to Korin. "Are they SUPPOSED to do this???"  
"... Annoying, isn't it?" Korin smirked at Sage. He flushed.

"Um... 'Scuse me, but... Who are you?" Tori mumbled. Nasake blinked.

"You can't recognize him? It's Tenku-sempai!" Tenku blushed.

"... I'm too YOUNG to be called that," he sighed. He noticed Sage and Ryo blinking at him. "... Yes?"

"You look like Rowen!" they chorused. Nasake looked at him, then at Rowen.

"I don't see it," she said.

"Can you help him?" Tori asked. Tenku sighed and folded his arms.

"I suppose so..." He eyed Sage, then Ryo. "... You, the one with the messy hair, come here." Sage held up his hands.

"Hey, that's you, man," he said to Ryo.

"My hair's not messy!" he pouted. He obeyed and rolled his eyes. "What?" he spat. Tenku raised an eyebrow, grabbed him by his shirt, and kissed him thoroughly. Ryo squeaked, his eyes wide, and face a dark red. Tori and Nasake watched with flushed faces. Sage just stared. Tenku pushed him away and licked his mouth. "... Not bad."

"DUDE! WHAT THE FUCK!?" Ryo sputtered, wiping his mouth roughly. "Me, male, NOT GAY!" he said simply. Tenku rolled his eyes.

"You, boy, leader," he spat back. "You've got plenty of energy to spare, don't be such a prude," he sighed. Ryo suddenly yawned and blinked his eyes.

"Duuude... I'm SO freaking tired now..." Nasake turned to Tori.

"I feel so dirty cause I saw that," she murmured. Tori nodded.

"But wasn't his face just so cute?!" she giggled. She yelped when Ryo spun her around and kissed her roughly. He pulled away slowly.

"Muuuch better..." he breathed. Tori frowned.

"RYO!!" she exclaimed, slapping him hard. "You JERK!! I'm telling Kayura!!" she snapped and flounced out of the room. Ryo yawned and chased after her more slowly.

"Wait... No... Lemme s'plain..." Korin beckoned Sage.

"Come Halo... You need to rest now," she said. He looked back at Tenku before following her out of the room.

Nasake looked up at Tenku. "... How come you haven't shown up like this before? And how come Korin couldn't do that?"

"Frankly... it... exhausts me, my lady... And Korin is too lazy. She thought it would be funny watching Wildfire squirm..." He touched her hair gently. "Don't worry about Strata... He'll be fine," he said. Tenku sat beside Rowen, leaned down and kissed him softly, giving him the much needed energy to recover. Rowen murmured softly and opened his eyes just as Tenku lifted his head. He blushed. "... Kay... S'going on? I'm havin' dreams about sleeping with myself," he mumbled. "What happened?"

"Next time you decide to do that, keep your armor on," Tenku ordered. He stood and reverted to the silver colored tiger. He pawed out of the room. Perhaps he would scare Hardrock.

"What happened to you!?" Nasake sniffled. "I woke up and you were gone!" Rowen took her hand and closed his eyes.

"You won't have to worry about Takanawa anymore..."

"Wh-wha? HE did this?!" she whimpered. Rowen reached up and cupped her cheek.

"Whoa, hey... easy... He's... gone."

"What do you mean 'gone'?" she whispered.

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Kento yawned tiredly as he flipped through the channels for cartoons. Sai returned from the kitchen with a cup of coffee for both of them. "Put it on the news, Kento. I want to see the weather..."

"... HUAAAAAAAH... 'kay..." Kento clicked over and frowned.

"Man... all it is, is that building collapsing yesterday... How depressing..."

"Wait... no it isn't... Listen," he said and turned it up.

== "... In other news, a downtown landlord was found dead at his home. The victim's name was Takanawa Ken. The victim was found stabbed in the temple on the rooftop of the apartment building earlier this morning with a switchblade knife. A semi-automatic gun was found beside him with several rounds missing. There are reports that there was the sound of gunfire between the hours of one and two this morning. The police are currently investigating this homicide. We will continue to keep you informed as more details of this investigation become known... Now we'll go to Miss Aki Yuki with the weather..."==

"Kento! Isn't that...?"

"Aki Yuki? Yeah, she's hot," Kento yawned. Sai frowned.

"Not her!! The murder victim!"

"What about him?"

"That WAS Nasake's landlord!"

"So? The guy was a perverted son of a bitch that had it coming to him."

"Think about it! Rowen came home full of bullets," he began in a hiss, "he left in a rage because of what that man did to Nasake, and the man is DEAD!" Kento was wide-awake now.

"What do we do, man? You don't think he would..."

"You guys really think I would kill some one in cold blood?" Rowen asked. He padded very carefully out of his bedroom. Nasake was behind him. "I'm feeling the love in this room... Sheesh..."

"ROWEN!!" Kento beamed. "Dude... you're... awake... How?" Tenku lifted his large, furry head over the back of the couch and batted Kento's face.

"Boo."

"YEEEEE!"

"... Relax it's Tenku..." Rowen said.

"You didn't really kill him..." Rowen lowered his eyes.

"... Not on purpose... I went over there to scare him really... How was I to know that he had a gun? And a hell of a right hook... damn."

"Rowen! You killed someone!" Sai hissed.

"... I know... I'm not going to the cops either. The guy tried to kill me... Almost did... He had me pinned. He shot me. All I could do was grab the knife I had..."

=="I don't see the problem. He was supposed to die today anyway... He was supposed to fall asleep, and burn to death because he failed to put out his cigarette... Strata actually SAVED lives today. Twenty people, including Nasake's grandmother were supposed to die in the fire..." == Tenku said and yawned.

"I'm just glad that he's okay," Nasake said. "He deserved to die!!!" she shouted and ran back to the bedroom. Rowen leaned against the window and sighed.

"Aren't you going to go after her?" Sai asked. Rowen just stared out at the rising sun over Tokyo Bay.

== "... Dark clouds and cold rain all the rest of this week... Better get out the raincoats and the hot cocoa! Back to you Jien..."==

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"Tori, you need to understand... It was just a kiss, you don't have to get so mad!" Ryo pleaded.

"It's not that! You are horrible! You should have at least ASKED!"

"I'm sorry! Next time I'll ask, okay?" He sat beside her and hugged her from behind.

"I forgive you, besides... It would be a waste of MY money if you didn't use that whole box of boy gloves I bought you," she sighed. Ryo flushed. Tori pulled back the blankets and yawned. "Wake me when lunch is ready..."

"Sure..." he mumbled and went to the window. He frowned. (I know you're out there...) he said to himself. He looked back at Tori who had all ready fallen asleep.

== Ryo followed Anubis into the kitchen after he had calmed Tori down. "What is it, man? We gotta go!" Ryo said. Anubis lowered his eyes.

"May I ask a favor?" he asked. Ryo saw the sudden concern in the ancient teal eyes. He nodded slowly.

"S-sure..."

"While you are in the city... can you keep an eye on her for me?" he asked softly.

"Huh? Why? I mean I would for everyone, but... why the request??" Anubis flushed softly.

"I promised Kaos a while back that if something should happen to him, I would take care of her. I am asking the same of you, Wildfire... Please. Act in my stead... As the only person who has ever bested me in combat, you are the only one suited for this... I have an awful feeling that something is going to happen to her... Please..." He held Wildfire's shoulders firmly. Ryo lowered his eyes.

"You know... you really hurt her today... She needs someone now more than ever because of what happened. Think about that until we get back and I'll do my best." Anubis blushed.

"I thank you, Wildfire..."==

Ryo sighed and looked back out at the city. A dark haze of smoke and debris floated over the downtown area along with an ominous feeling that today was going to be a long one...

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A/N: Geez... this one was twisted, ne? Tee hee! Threw s'more boy x boy goodness in there! More to come... Oh, I dunno if orange pocky really exists... I just picked a flavor that would sound yummy!


	34. Redemption

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Thirty-Four: Redemption

(Cover the youngin's eyes! There are pervy things about!)

She whimpered as he ripped her head backwards by her hair almost to the point of breaking her neck. Hot tears ran molten paths down her flushed face. Her abdomen ached and her throat slightly raw from crying. Yet now she remained silent and submissive. Any more resistance would result in something worse than a broken bone. First it had been her index finger. He promised her in a voice with an air of death to it that there would not _BE_ a next one. It felt like hours since she and the boys had been separated. Her whole body burned from abuse and fatigue. The muscles inside her throbbed and stabbed all throughout the seemingly long hours from the instant she was taken to the constant assault she felt inside her now. Even if she had the strength to pull away, it was all she could do to hang onto his larger body for dear life as he tossed her around as if she were a rag doll. Sharp, painful yet pleasurable thrusts stabbed into her, eliciting a moan with each one. She yelped as sharp teeth bit down on her throat in an aggressive attempt to keep her aroused. As much as she hated to admit it, every time he entered her, erection fully re-awakened, her body wanted it and practically begged for it. Every time she climaxed, crying out with inner pain that overcame sinful pleasure.

A snarl rose into his throat and he threw her down against the floor of the large van. Windows had been taped, painted over, and blocked all in the back by any means. A curtain behind the front seats banished all available daylight, if there was any at all. For a moment, it was quiet. She squeezed her eyes shut with an age-old childish notion that he wouldn't be able to see her anymore. That he too would disappear and he could regain her strength to finally scream.

Oh, the bliss of innocence… Not her. Not anymore or ever again. Tears began anew when she felt the weight of his body straddle over her chest, pinning her shoulders, making it so hard to breathe. The instant his hands trapped her arms above her head and the large, wet invasion into her mouth escaped her. She whimpered helplessly and tried to turn away, disgusted and thoroughly sickened by everything that had happened.

"Suck," came the deadly order. A delighted moan came low and heavy in his throat as her tongue swirled slowly with a gentle sucking motion. "Mnn, harder…" Another moan this time louder came as he leaned over her and forced it more down her throat, not caring if he went too far until he was completely buried within her. His rocking was however gentle.

She felt her consciousness slipping from the lack of oxygen. Impulsively, she started to struggle and cry out in protest. With all of her strength she bucked helplessly. "Ohhh…" he sighed as the vibrations of her muffled screams sent a delicious pulse of pleasure through him. He rocked harder, gripping her wrists tightly until he came with a loud groan. She gagging she managed to roll over and cough up the hot fluid that had accidentally entered her lungs.

Her mind swirled and throbbed. A bright curtain of light blinded her and muffled and muddled yells entered her mind, yet nothing coherent formed.

Emotionally and physically drained she felt a stab of shame and hopelessness as she thought she heard the cries of the boys she loved so much…

* * *

"NO!!!" Mia screamed as she bolted up in her bed, knocking a body to the floor in utter surprise. Scanning the brightly, sunlit place of her bedroom, the fresh breeze billowing her curtains, and the faint banging from outside, she let out a cry of relief, and covered her face to cry softly. _(… Gods… No more… please)_ she cried to herself and fell back against her comforting pillows. 

A voice, different than from the dream, called out to her softly. She didn't notice the weight of her bed dip behind her and a warm, solid body spoon up behind her. It held her in a comforting warmth, battle calloused hands sliding over her delicate kitchen nimble ones, and holding them gently. Mia's eyes opened slowly and stared at the lavender-sleeved arm seemingly protecting her. She sniffled and clutched the arm close to her with a shuddering whimper.

"Shhh," came into her ear, lips brushing against the contour of it, then against her temple, affectionately. "… It was a bad dream, my lady…" She turned inside the embrace, the large arm lifting to accommodate her before pulling her back against his chest in an even tighter, safer embrace. Wavy, ivory locks spilled over his shoulder, and a single ice blue eye melted the chills of fear still freezing the very depth of her. His hand moved and brushed the amber strands out of her face, pulling back the curtain she hid behind. His eye widened as hot tears spilled out over her cheeks. "… He's back," she whimpered, not quite enough awake to realize he hadn't a clue to what she meant. "He's back inside my head," she cried into his chest.

"Who?" he whispered gently. He ran his hand through her hair hushing her softly. He paused slightly as he took note of a mark on her neck. A mark that seemed all too familiar to him. He touched it gently and traced it slowly. Mia gasped, hand flying to her neck. "D-don't!" she breathed. He noticed another along her breastbone, disappearing into the fabric of her silken nightgown. Her eyes gave her away as shame and guilt passed over them. Dais touched her cheek and cupped it gently.

He often wondered why such a robust and lively woman shied away from affections as innocent as a hug or a pat on the back. Why he never seemed to see her in a bathing suit or anything sleeveless for that matter. The attitude, the look in her eyes, the way she overly covered up. His one eye closed with a sigh before it opened again. "… When did it happen?" he asked in a voice that seemed to understand the very meaning of everything that she had been trying to hide, ashamed. Mia swallowed.

"… About a year ago… I was with Kento and S-sai on a trip to Y-yamaguchi to see Sai's mother… We got separated some how and…" Her voice fell into a hesitant whimper. "… and… I was hit from behind…" She started to cry.

"Shh…" he ordered softly, placing his forehead against hers. He closed his eye and concentrated briefly. Flashes and images entered his mind. A face. A voice. Names. Sensations of fear, shame, guilt among others filled his mind and senses. He felt her shiver as she suddenly felt goose bumps rise to her skin and sigh with pleasure as a warm feeling flowed through her. The terror has dissipated… at least for a while. Her eyes opened. Everything seemed to feel dreamy and her body felt so light. The feeling stopped as Dais opened his eye again and kissed her forehead.

"I didn't have any idea," he whispered. "Forgive my intrusion… It's better if I take a look inside than have you endure it again…" Mia sniffled and settled back into his chest. She closed her eyes and took in the calming scent of summer. It was quiet with the exception of the breeze coming through her room and the faint banging again. She felt her cheeks get hot as his hand started to stroke the small of her back, then up along the bare skin of her spine. She lifted her face and risked looking him in the eye. Risking another person looking at her with pity and remorse, a look that reminded her of that horrible day.

There was only gentle understanding. No pity, no remorse… just an emotion that she could not quite read. Dais gave her a soft smile. "… You are safe now, my lady. There is nothing of which to be afraid…" He was greeted with a shy nod.

"Dais? Can I ask you something?" she whispered faintly.

"Anything." Mia sat up and rubbed the sleep and tears out of her eyes.

"What is that banging?" Dais sat up with a chuckle.

"Well, that's what I came in here to tell you before you threw me on the floor…" Mia blushed. He stood and pulled her out of bed by her hand. He snatched her robe and slipped it over her.

"Dais! Where are you taking me!?" she laughed, blushing as the man led her out of the room by her hand.

"It's a surprise!" he finally answered with a handsome grin as they cleared the stairs, heading towards the front door (which had been finally fixed by the way).

"Dais!!" she protested before he pulled her outside.

"Surprise…" He pointed to the nearly repaired veranda. Mia gasped in complete shock.

"H-how? How in the world did you fix this in a DAY?!" she exclaimed as she watched Anubis, Sekhmet, and Cale working diligently. Cale took notice and flushed gently when he saw the happy look on her face.

"M-my lady!?" he sputtered. "G-good morning!" Sekhmet glanced up at Anubis. He shook his head with a smirk and went back to sanding. Cale leapt down from the top of the ladder and rushed to her.

"Cale! How?" He blushed and scratched the back of his blue mane.

"Well… we kinda… cheated…" Mia looked at Dais who appeared just as guilty.

"'Cheated'?" Mia repeated.

"… Black magic," they replied in unison. Mia blinked and went over to the newly finished wall. She touched it hesitantly. It felt solid enough. She knocked on it rather hard.

"My lady," Anubis called, looking down at her from the roof of the porch. She looked up shyly. "What are you doing?" he chuckled. Sekhmet glanced down beside him.

"Making sure you didn't bungle up _ANOTHER_ spell," he snipped. Anubis frowned with a faint blush. The last repair he screwed up wasn't _THAT_ bad… then again, the wall separating the baths into two parts _WAS_ important. He still had the bruises from Kongo and Tori… not to mention a few more advances from Kayura than he cared to have. Mia smiled.

"Just looking. Are you guys hungry? I'm going to go make breakfast-"

"BREAKFAST!!" Kayura called from the kitchen window. Sekhmet's face lit up.

"Yes!" Anubis _CLIMBED_ down the ladder rather than jumping down. He met Mia at the bottom.

"You'd think he and Hardrock were related," he chuckled.

"Don't say that to Kento!" Mia laughed gently. She observed the new porch once more. "Anubis? Where did you find all this extra wood to use?"

"The barrier is down, remember?" he reminded. "We bought it in town… Aside from the slight looting in some places, you'd think nothing had happened!"

"Then what was that spell you and Lady Kayura performed when the others left? I thought you were re-casting the barrier?"

"Ahh, no," he began slowly and unsurely. "I-it's not important. Everything was bought and paid for, my lady, so you don't have to worry."

"… No, just the credit card bill in the mail whenever it starts working again," she sighed. "I just hope that the others, especially Ryo, don't go overboard with party supplies."

* * *

"ACHOO!" Ryo rubbed his nose with a paper towel. 

"Wow, Ryo! That's the third one in two minutes! Someone must be talking about you!" Megami beamed across the breakfast table.

"That or he's coming down with a cold," Sai murmured. "Go wash your hands, Ryo! I'll kill you if I get sick!"

"Ow, Sai! Quit pushing! I'm going!"

* * *

"My goodness, Lady Kayura! How early did you have to get up to make all of this!?" Mia exclaimed, letting Cale seat her. Kayura blushed with pride. "It all looks so good!" 

"Stop it!" she giggled. Sekhmet let out a snort.

"Yes, do stop… Her ego is all ready too big," he said lightly. Kayura pulled on his ear.

"At least it's bigger than SOME things, you buffoon," she hissed. Sekhmet rubbed his earlobe.

"Ow! You mean like your chest?" he sneered. Anubis caught her arm before she hit Sekhmet with a large spatula.

"Now, now, Kayura… Calm down," he said with a sigh. Mia bit back a laugh. He seemed so calm and not at all surprised with their behavior, like this was all very routine for the five of them. Kayura pouted up at him.

"But Anuuubis," she whined. "Didn't you hear what he said about me?" She pulled back the front of her shirt and looked into it with a pout. Anubis sighed with a roll of his eyes.

"Your breasts are fine, Kayura. Now, please, sit down and eat something," he said gently. Kayura flushed at the seemingly 'normal' comment to her, but she frowned.

"'Fine'? 'FINE'? Oh, I'm sure Rekka's are just the orbs of the heavens to you!!" she snapped. Anubis reddened slightly with the laughter that met his ears. He was SO glad she wasn't here to witness this horrible display. He didn't need any more bruises either. He leered down at her with an annoyed glare.

"Oh, yes, Kayura… There isn't a being more perfect than she," he remarked with sarcasm. Kayura's lip began to tremble. She was always is favorite girl! "For the love of the Gods, Kayura! Just sit down!" he snapped. Mia's soft laughter met their ears. "And what, pray my lady, is so amusing?" he demanded.

"N-nothing! I just…" She smiled sweetly. "I'm glad that… none of you are evil anymore," she said gently. Anubis blinked and sat at the head of the table.

"Oh."

"How did you sleep, Lady Mia?" Cale asked softly. "I hope the banging didn't wake you." Mia froze briefly while she drank a glass of apple juice. She swallowed hard.

"I… No, Cale… The banging didn't disturb me. It was a lovely surprise; thank you," she said with a smile, trying to hide behind it. It seemed to work against Cale; however, she could feel Dais' stare on her from across the table from her. She glanced at him shyly. A soft smile that was both comforting and sincere fell across his lips. Cale caught this and grit his teeth silently. "Cale?" Mia called suddenly.

"Huh, what?"

"Do you think you can help me clean up after breakfast?"

"Y-yes… Of course!" Mia smiled at him. Cale flushed. _(… I think this is what Kongo said about feeling 'all fuzzy inside'… Fuzzy?)_ he thought with a nervous gulp.

"Sekhmet, how do you like… it?" Kayura began. She stopped when she found him nearly inhaling the food. "Sekhmet!" He froze and swallowed what food he had.

"… Y-yes?"

"What is wrong with you!?" she scolded. "You're manners are worse than Hardrock's!" she hissed.

"… S-sorry. I just… I feel so hungry for some reason," he replied, staring into his glass of juice. Something was bothering him… and it wasn't hunger, he suddenly realized.

"E-excuse me…" Sekhmet stood quickly and left.

"Sekhmet!" Mia called after him, but the man had escaped through the kitchen and out the back door. "Oh, I hope he's all right," she sighed. "Maybe we should go after him?"

"… Don't worry about him, my lady," Dais assured. He turned to Anubis. "Why don't you follow him so he doesn't get into any trouble. The last time he went out something happened. Damn reptile wouldn't say a word about it…" Anubis looked sheepish.

"I… don't think that is a wise idea," he began. "The last time I did that… well… let's just say he was a little more than 'miffed'." Mia folded her arms across her chest.

"I will _NOT_ have him coming home with cuts and bruises all over him again!" she frowned. "Scared me half to death when he came home like that! Go follow him so he doesn't get into any trouble. Do you know that I can't even garden without being attacked by something? Dais and Cale watch my every move… It drives me crazy sometimes, but at least I'm alive. Now get your butt out there and watch him!" Anubis frowned.

"… What am I, his babysitter? The man is almost… five hundred! I think he can take care of himself!" he snapped. Cale's eyes flashed.

"Watch your tone…" he warned. Anubis stood abruptly.

"No one said that you had to 'baby sit' him. Just follow him and make sure that he doesn't get killed. It will be a slight problem if that happens," Dais reminded. Anubis growled deep in his throat.

"… Fine." Anubis practically stormed out of the dining room.

"My lady, when did you say that Wildfire and the others would be returning?" Cale asked.

"Um, I think he mentioned coming home later on tomorrow afternoon…"

"Lovely. At least we'll have another day of peace and quiet without the bickering," Dais said lightly.

"Shh, Dais! Don't be rude!" Mia whispered.

"I wasn't! I was just stating a fact that it IS quieter around here without Anubis and Rekka fighting… not to mention Hardrock and Strata fighting over the television."

"… Dais," Mia sighed heavily.

Anubis sighed heavily and leaned against the wall outside the dining room. Dais had the uncanny ability to be right… all the time and Anubis hated it. He ran his hand through his hair with another sigh before touching the wound on his cheek. He pulled his fingertips away and frowned. _(Still bleeding…)_ he thought. He frowned when it reminded him of a certain… cartoon… Hardrock made him watch with him. Something to do with a batousai? He shook his head.

"Cale?" Mia asked from the other room. "Can you help me do the dishes?"

"O-of course!"

Anubis sighed again before leaving through the front door.

Cale swallowed hard before following the others into the kitchen after Mia. She was busying herself with putting away leftovers. Kayura was scraping all extra scraps into White Blaze's large bowl, muttering to herself about wasting food. "Kayura? Where is Yuli?" Mia asked worriedly.

"The boy? Oh, I gave him little travel pack before I called you all. He's with White Blaze down at the dock…"

"By himself?!" Mia exclaimed. "Kayura!"

"Relax, Mia… I'll go check on him, all right? Just calm down now. Don't over excite yourself again," Dais ordered gently. Mia nodded slowly and flushed gently. She was still shaken from the morning's nightmare.

"Be careful, Dais," she said softly and watched him go. He flashed a smile over his shoulder before he disappeared out the other kitchen door.

"You're awfully quiet today, Cale," Mia began again gently. "Something on your mind?" Cale jumped and almost dropped the food he was putting away into the pantry. Kayura got a cloud of flour dumped onto her head as he scrambled to keep the rest from spilling out onto the ground. She sneezed and coughed loudly. "… Oops. S-sorry, my lady…"

"It's fine." She dusted herself off quickly. "… Another shower wouldn't hurt I suppose." She walked behind him and pinched his back.

"Ow!" He turned and glared at her. "I said I was sorry!!"

"You _OWE_ me, Cale…" she whispered and left quickly. Cale flushed heavily and swallowed.

"Cale?"

"DAH!" He jumped again, sending more flour into the air. "Don't _DOOO_ that, my lady!!" he exclaimed, nearly whining. Mia giggled and wiped the flour off of his cheeks with a dishtowel.

"You're so funny, Cale. Now… What's wrong with you?" She went back over to the sink and started washing, awaiting an answer. Cale scratched the back of his head nervously.

"… I… Um." Cale lowered his head with a sigh, giving up. "We never finished our… conversation from the other day, my lady," he said softly. Mia didn't look up from washing, though she had slowed considerably.

"I… figured as much," she said gently. "… You've nearly avoided me since then. I thought I was beginning to make you angry or upset with me."

"Never!" he exclaimed and turned her around. "I just… I want to know," he finished softly, pulling up a stool and taking her hands. Mia smiled gently at Cale.

"I _do_ care for you, Cale," she said. His eyes lit up.

"You do?! Really?" Mia started to giggle.

"You sound like Yuli when he gets excited." Cale flushed and laughed nervously. Mia lowered her eyes.

"My lady?" Kayura returned to the kitchen and poked her head in from the door.

"Lady Mia? May I borrow that herbal shampoo of yours? Sekhmet took mine again…" she pouted. She grinned to herself when a dark red flush fell onto Cale's cheeks, making him look like a blue-topped cherry.

"O-of course, Kayura. Just return it when you've finish."

"Thank you! Cale want me to turn the heat down? You look very flushed," she grinned. Cale glared.

"Cale? Can… we discuss this later?" Mia asked softly. "I… have some thinking to do first, all right?" He nodded slowly.

"Is later tonight all right? A walk perhaps? We won't be disturbed then…" Mia thought a moment and smiled.

"Yes. I'd like that very much, Cale." Mia leaned up and kissed him softly before heading out. She poked her head back into the kitchen. "Cale? Can you finish the dishes, please?" He nodded and waved nervously as she left. He tip toed to the door again and listened for retreating footfalls. He jumped up in triumph, hitting his head on a light fixture.

"… **_YES!!!!_**… Ow…"

* * *

Sekhmet closed his eyes and stretched out on a flat rock, letting the sun warm his skin. He yawned sleepily and pillowed his head behind his arms. "… Nice day," he said to himself. He heard a soft skittering beside him. He turned and opened his eyes. A small little lizard cocked his head at him. He smirked. "… Good morning, cousin," he greeted. A pink tongue flickered at him. Sekhmet chuckled to himself. "My, my… bitter, aren't we. Don't worry… the weather is going to stay like this for a while, little one…" He sat up and sighed. The lizard climbed on his leg. Sekhmet stared at forest around him. It hadn't been this nice outside since he last saw Managi he realized. He looked down at the small reptile again. 

"Hm? Oh… nothing. I was just thinking of someone…" He closed his eyes and thought of golden eyes and ivory skin. He could still smell the scent of roses from her. "… I wonder if she's all right… She wasn't with Talpa when he attacked," he thought aloud. "Strange… considering she was a formidable opponent when we fought against him." His brow furrowed with worry. Remembering when last they spoke, she walked along the path of high treason… Had she been caught… No. Sekhmet shook his head defiantly. "She's fine…" The lizard suddenly darted into the brush. "Hey, where are you… Hm, something must have spooked… Hm?"

He stood slowly as a faint sound came from a small pond farther into the woods. Along with the rush of water, a pleasant tune greeted his ears… a voice. Following the sound, he kept a hold of the armored orb tight in his hand should he need it. As he neared the source, his heart began to thud in his chest. He knew that tune. _(It… can't be…)_ He stopped just before the path emptied into the larger clearing with the small pond with a high waterfall. Looking around he eyed a strong tree branch and leapt upon it with expert stealth. He had a clear view of the entire pond. Scanning the surface, his breath hitched in his throat at a pale, almost white body beneath the gentle waterfall. Ebony hair glistened against the white foam pouring down on her. He felt a smile curl on his lips out of happiness and a little bit of naughtiness. He moved to another branch for a closer perch…

* * *

Managi sang softly as she bathed underneath the falls. Several days had passed and she had managed to elude the guards and spirits that had been looking for her. It wasn't them she was worried about. It was Talpa. Now that her memory of him had returned, she became quickly aware of his jealous streak and hunger for control. He had lost everything… but he would be damned if he couldn't keep her too. Managi tried to let the cool water chill away the awful nagging that he was constantly searching for her. She thought about what that monk in white and blue robes told her. That Talpa wouldn't find her if she sought out the Ronins. How could she do that after what she had done? She couldn't; however, she did not want to go back either. Ever. Perhaps it would be possible for her to live on her own in this world like the Ronins… Managi stopped singing and stepped out of the waterfall. She waded over to a few warm rocks to sun herself. That was one joy about the mortal realm: the sun was bright and warm. She wrung out her hair and sat staring at her reflection in the pond. It was then she realized that her appearance was far from normal. Golden eyes, pointed ears, fangs, and claws… She touched her features sadly and felt tears fill her eyes. There wasn't any place she could go. The world wouldn't accept a monster… and neither would the Ronins. As far as she was concerned, she was still their enemy… Right? She splashed her reflection away with a hiss and sighed, drying her eyes. "What… should I do?" she asked herself, wishing the monk would return and give her more advice. She covered her face and started to cry. 

There was a slight popping sound. She lifted her head and looked around, drying her eyes quickly. The water was still and all was silent except for the roar of the falls. She reached for a small knife she kept and slowly waded back out into the water. She felt a presence now. Stopping when the water reached her waist she scanned the surface again. The popping sound came, then a snap.

"_WHOOOOOAAAA!!_" Managi yelped when something crashed down in front of her and it the water with a huge splash.

Sekhmet coughed and sputtered as he surfaced._ (So much for being sneaky...)_ He slicked the hair out of his face as he stood. He froze when he felt a knife at his throat. Hands rose defensively with a nervous smile. "O-oh good. You're not hurt after all!" he greeted with a nervous smile. Managi just stared up at him in shock. "Um… H-hi…"

"Y-you… I-" Sekhmet averted his eyes and turned.

"My lady… You may wish to cover up before we continue this… conversation. I wouldn't want you to-" Soft arms curled around his frame and a body pulled tight against his back. Sekhmet looked down at the battered arms around his chest. _(Well… at least that **horrid** little knife is gone.)_

"… Naotoki, don't… go," she whispered. Sekhmet felt her body start to shiver. He turned slowly and smiled down at her.

"Let's get you out of the water and onto a rock with the sun," he said, lifting her in his arms. Managi squeaked as he did this. Everything felt so familiar to her. He set her down after wading out of the water. He turned his back to her as he sat down. He removed his shirt and tried to squeeze out the water. "… I'm… glad that you managed to stay alive from all of this chaos… Talpa must be itching to attack." Managi grabbed the cape from her armor and wrapped it around her. She stared at his scarred back that was once flawless like she remembered.

"He… He is angry. Kurai has taken over… but he sleeps now," she said softly.

"So, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be… you know… plotting to take over?"

"I… I'm not going back," she whispered. Sekhmet turned quickly to her in shock.

"Why not? I mean I can see why I wouldn't go back, but you…?" Managi flushed and looked away.

"I… I'm afraid. I can't serve the Dynasty any more. A once fearsome and deadly empire has fallen to nothing but an orgy of greed, political ruin, and lust… and my head is so muddled with these memories… I escaped during the confusion to ease my own."

"W-where will you go?" Sekhmet asked softly, looking down at his feet. He started to remove his sneakers. He should have put on the armor.

"I don't know…"

"Do… you… remember anything? About… us?" He looked back at her. She blushed prettily, making him smile. She nodded.

"A little… What… you said about me and… this," she began, lifting the ring on a chain around her neck, "I… remember some of us… The rest is… a blur." Sekhmet looked away, face flushing a deep pink. He felt like a girl, honestly. The moment was awkward.

"N-naotoki?" she began and moved closer to him.

"Y-yes?" Managi looked into her clothed lap and swallowed.

"… Talpa is still searching for me… and Kurai won't be far behind… Would you let me stay-OH!" she squeaked when he pulled her against him and rested his forehead into the nape of her neck. She blushed heavily and blinked. "N-naotoki??"

"… Of course…" He stroked her long locks that rivaled Kayura's in length. "I've… missed you!" he nearly cried out loud. His words left barely a sound. "I'll make it right again…" She let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes.

The void within their hearts vanished from nearly centuries of emptiness.

* * *

Anubis followed the path Sekhmet had taken. He trudged down the steep hill towards the woods, grumbling to himself. "Stupid… I'm a warrior, not a baby sitter… Hn…" He kicked a stone down the slope with a growl. "Watch the boy, Anubis! Make sure you keep an eye on the others, Anubis! Change baby Sekkie's diaper, Anubis!" he mocked in a high voice, making up the last one. "Hmph, what's next, roll over and play dead?" 

"_Woooooooooahhhhh! Cooooooool!_" he heard Yuli exclaim from the lake. Anubis stopped and looked towards the dock. He was sitting on the fishing bench watching someone on the water. Anubis moved farther down the hill for a better look: he was at it again, Dais walking on water. Anubis rolled his eyes with a smirk, remembering that in some cultures, people would think he was the Second coming. He had an idea. Now that he thought about it, Anubis hadn't gotten him back for leaving him to do the dishes so he could go 'spoon about' with Mia. He grinned and cleared his throat. "… SHARK!!!!" he hollered. Dais lost his concentration and hit the water with a large splash. Yuli burst into loud laughter and helped him out of the water. Anubis shrugged, a little pleased with himself. He knew that he'd be paying for it later; nonetheless, he continued on.

Anubis sighed heavily. Finding him was taking too long. _(Where the hell did he go!?)_ he grumbled and pushed away several branches. "Dammit…" He sat on a flat rock and lay back, enjoying a little bit of the sun. He listened to the birds and the wind in the leaves…

"… Ohh!"

Anubis sat up straight and blinked. _(… THAT… was definitely NOT the wind.)_ The low moan came again, making him stand very slowly. He KNEW that sound, given he hadn't quite heard it in sometime… It's not a sound one tends to forget easily. Anubis listened carefully and moved toward the… sound and the sound of falling water. He crept to the end of the path, eyes widening when he saw the beautiful waterfall. _(Huh. Didn't know this was here…)_ He scanned the water, almost forgetting about the… 'sounds' when he was suddenly reminded as his eyes fell on Sekhmet and Managi…

Sekhmet and Managi, _naked_…

Sekhmet and Managi, _mating_…

...in broad daylight.

Anubis swallowed hard and backed away VERY slowly and quietly. He slumped against a tree and started to chuckle to himself. "Oh, this is just PERFECT…" He peered back around the tree back at them; they were a little out of earshot, but not by much. _(What the HELL is the doing?! And he bitches at ME for Zeal…)_ He felt a slight pang and frowned, looking down at his jeans. "Be-HAVE," he snapped softly, turning back around, trying to decide what to do. He couldn't wait for them to… finish… and pretend like nothing happened… Then again, he couldn't leave and tell the others that Sekhmet was making happy with the enemy either. "… Wait and face Sekhmet, get killed. Leave and face Lady Mia," he murmured. "Certain death or Mia… Death… Mia…" _(I should have been a carpenter…)_ he sighed. Anubis looked back at the pair and then his watch. "… This could take a while." He sat on the ground and started to shred a fallen leaf. He looked up at the sky and sighed again. 

_(… Guess that means there will be three people who want my head on a stake… At least they're together again… Maybe I shouldn't stay… after what I did to them… their empire. No… I can't do that… but…)_ Anubis leaned on his elbow and tossed a rock away, aiming for a knot on a tree. He missed. "… I hope the others bring back more bandages. Looks like I'll be needing them." He felt sick in his stomach just imagining the wrath of the former snake empress…

The gentle sighs of pleasure were very nostalgic to him. Painfully nostalgic. _ ("… I want us to always be together, Anubis…"… "Aye… I would like that very much, my darling…" … "I love you."… "… I love you too. Forever.") _ Anubis swallowed the painful lump in his throat and sighed. "… Such a fool… Damn." Anubis felt his cheek throb suddenly. He winced and touched it.

_(… "Good GOD! Can you at least for one SECOND not think about HER?! My sister is DEAD!! And all you can think about is…")_ He closed his eyes, feeling shame creep across his face. He looked down at his hands, frowning as he remembered the lady Ancient's idea. "Damn needle… That is the LAST time I listen to Kayura…" The frown faded and again he leaned back against the tree. Tomorrow afternoon wasn't coming fast enough.

* * *

His skin felt like it was on fire as her fingertips dragged slowly across his shoulder blades and down the length of his long spine. Soft sighs floated from her throat as he planted light kisses along her slender neck, being ever so gentle to his porcelain empress. She rested her head upon his shoulder drinking in his scent and soothing touches; seemingly weak from everything that had gone wrong in their lives. She sighed deeply into another one of his warm and passionate kisses. She was still shuddering from her release. She cupped his face in her clawed hands and stared into indigo depths, half-lidded with lust and longing. He held her cheeks with his, dragging the back of his knuckles against the pale, ivory flesh. Gold eyes suddenly watered and sunshine spilled out over her lightly flushed face. Sekhmet's face fell. He pulled her as close as possible, his hand holding the small of her slender back protectively and the other curling around her warmly as she sat in his lap. "… He cannot hurt you anymore…" he whispered against her ear in his native tongue. He was surprised that he could remember how to speak it and relished the good feeling as it rolled so easily and naturally off his tongue. He felt her stiffen with the familiar words. Slender arms snaked around his neck with a soft shudder. 

"I… feel like he's everywhere… My senses are flooded. His touches… his scent, the way his hands feel against my skin… his… kisses," she replied in the same tongue. She glanced up at him, ashamed. "He has no idea where I am and I am still his prisoner…" Tears fell down her cheeks. "… How can you still possibly love me after everything that has happened?" Sekhmet nudged her face with the bridge of his nose.

"Because… you are here… alive… safe…" He kissed her softly. "… and the ache of having you here in my arms after the inner sanctum collapsed is… Gods… You haven't any idea how much I've wanted you to be all right! And… here you are with me… again… after nearly half a millennia… The odds of that are… well, I don't know the exact odds. You'll have to request that of Strata," he said. Managi laughed softly and dried her eyes.

"… Do you really think that… your… friends will accept me?"

"Of course!" he smiled and reached for her cape, wrapping her shoulders warmly. "… They accepted me… remember? Besides… I'm more worried about the boys and there… short attention span."

"What??" Managi honestly had no idea what he meant.

"… Well, they won't be paying so much attention to their training when I bring the most beautiful woman in the known universe home, will they?" he chuckled and kissed her fully.

"_N-naotoki!_" she gasped. "Well, I can see that your manners have gone the way of the dead." Sekhmet chuckled deeply and brushed her breast with his fingertips.

"Yes, I've been a little _naughty_. I need to be punished," he purred. Managi whimpered softly. She was exhausted from before all ready.

"N-naotoki… I…"

"Shhh…"

* * *

"N-Naotoki!!" 

Anubis grumbled again to himself. _(Damn that man and his stamina!)_ he thought angrily. Anubis had been there for about an hour now. Just when he was about to 'pretend' to find them, they had started up once more. "… When they mean catching up, they don't mean to take forever!" he growled to himself. He knew better than to check on them. He didn't think he could will a second one away if he did. Instead, he attempted to think of a very good excuse to calm Tori down once she returned. He swallowed hard. _(… I don't think flowers are going to fix this one…)_ He all ready had a surprise in mind for her and he hoped that it would show that he DID care about others instead of Zeal. It just wasn't really foolproof… his stitching was not that great. He had thought about getting down on his knees and begging, but… "She would enjoy that _WAY_ too much… I'd NEVER hear the end of it…"

"Naotoki!!"

Anubis rolled his eyes. _(Okay… he can't be THAT good. There's no way!)_ Getting back to the thought at hand, he didn't think about baking something. "Wait… Me, plus kitchen, plus Lady Mia's aprons… _**NO**_."

"Naotoki!!!" Anubis frowned. He was getting ready to leap out from behind the brush and scream at them when another voice followed.

"Here you are, my dear… I have been looking everywhere for you!"

* * *

Sekhmet shielded Managi with his arm after dodging a warning blast that seemed to be more threatening than a warning. He didn't need the familiar red mask to know who it was that was standing before them. The voice and typical timing of it all told him exactly who it was. "You can't have her, Talpa!" he snarled. Talpa smirked. 

"Hmph. I've all ready HAD her, Sekhmet," he chuckled. The former snake emperor's blood turned hot with anger. His fangs lengthened slightly.

"We shall see," Talpa continued. "Managi, return to me and I shall see that your punishment isn't so severe." Managi swallowed hard as a pale claw extended out for her to take. She stared at it as if it would bite her.

"… N-no!" Talpa blinked. She refused him. She actually said 'no'! He sighed heavily.

"Come back of your own will, or come back as a corpse. I can always revive you again like before." Managi backed away slowly and gave him a silent response. Talpa shrugged. "As you wish then," he said calmly before summoning a long spear like crystal and hurling it directly into Sekhmet's chest. Managi screamed as Sekhmet stumbled forward slightly a scream dying in his throat. He looked down, eyes wide, to see a black spear protruding out of his armored chest. "… S-shit," he gasped and fell to his knees as it vanished in black flames. He hadn't even seen his movements. (How is he so fast now?) he thought as he felt two arms encircle him as he collapsed. His sight went black.

"Naotoki! Naotoki, get up!!" she ordered. She cried out as Talpa snagged her up by her hair. He backhanded her hard, sending her to the ground.

"How dare you leave me?" he hissed. "After everything I have done for you… I gave you life again. I made you a better warrior that you have ever been… I made you and I can break you!" he roared. Managi wiped the blood from her mouth angrily.

"You made me your prisoner! Your slave! You gave me nothing!! You used me!" she hissed. Her eyes started to suddenly glow from gold to a dark violet. The wind around them began to pick up, circling the both of them at first, then around Talpa, petals of blood red roses swirling wildly. He snarled as the wind cut into his skin and burned his eyes. A violet prism encapsulated him and the torrent of wind and blade like petals. Talpa suddenly began to chuckle and with a loud shout, he shattered the prison with the force of his aura. The wind died instantly and the cuts and gashes on his face began to close. Managi's eyes widened.

"You little fool… You can't use the dark magicks against me… I AM them!" he cackled. He lunged at her and snatched her by the neck. He lifted her off the ground, thoroughly ready for her to hang to death. Managi's eyes flared a dark violet briefly, attempting to blast free of the death grip. Claws sunk into his flesh, drawing blood that burned her fingertips. She whimpered, not knowing what else to do. "… Stop struggling, my dear. It will be over soon… and you won't remember a thing this time," he said in a gentle voice. Tears poured from her eyes as she kicked frantically. Talpa tightened his hand quickly. Her lungs began to burn from lack of air. She pulled herself up using his forearm in a futile attempt for a breath. Her eyes fell to her beloved Sekhmet. He lay on the bank of the pond lifeless. Again fate severed them apart.

**_Quake With Fear!_**

Her eyes shot open as the cry came from behind Talpa and a barrage of chains came at him. Talpa turned his head with a snarl to find the after image of the former Warlord of Cruelty. "What?!" He suddenly screamed in agony as he heard the splitting of bone and flesh. Managi fell from the height and was caught by an unexpected man. Anubis set her down carefully and ripped the writhing limb from her throat. Managi coughed and gasped for air. "Are you all right?!" Anubis exclaimed. "I-"

"I will **_NOT_** be your conquest today, Cruelty!" Managi hissed and swiped at him with a dagger. Anubis dodged several blows before knocking the weapon out of her hand and grabbing her by the arms.

"Listen to me, my lady! We have got to-" A large blast of energy slammed into them. Anubis and Managi were thrown into a very large tree. Anubis managed to pick himself and Managi out of the severed mass of splintered wood and jump out of the way of another. Talpa walked calmly toward them, blasting wherever they landed. His eyes glowed a dark violet with everyone. He then stopped. "…Well, well… It seems that you've improved on your dodging, Anubis. You know you were never very good at it… You weren't really good at anything… except _whining_," Talpa sneered as he levitated his severed limb back to him, where it reattached at his elbow.

"What do you want now?" Anubis demanded. "I know that you have better things to do than chase women around…" He suddenly smiled confidently. "Or is that all the great Kurai is permitting you to do, 'emperor' Talpa?" Talpa's eyes flared.

"_DIE, DEMON!!_" Managi shrieked and cracked her whip. The ends buried into the ground and the earth began to rumble. Talpa attempted to stay standing when a large vine erupted from the ground and came barreling at him, sharp ends racing to pierce his flesh. Talpa easily dodged it and leapt into the air. "I know all of your tricks, my dear…" The vine followed him and he caught it in his hand, ripping the weapon from her grasp. "THIS is how you are supposed to do it…" Talpa performed the same attack and it raced toward Managi.

Not really thinking clearly and remembering suddenly the look on Sekhmet's face as the inner sanctum collapsed nearly four hundred years ago, he leapt in front of Managi just as the ends of the now split whip buried into his shoulder blade. Anubis screamed as the venom burned his flesh. Managi stared up at him in shock. Anubis leaned over her, shielding her from the energy blasts from Talpa.

"You fool! Just what in the gods' names do you think you are doing?!" Managi hissed. Anubis opened his eyes and gave her a small smile in the midst of pain.

"To… right a wrong… I did so… long ago… AHHN!" Anubis' arm gave way slightly. "I… won't have you dying again… not when I… can stop it… Sekhmet… loves you. He needs you… and… you need him. I-AHHHN!!" Talpa sent a large blast into them knocking the strength out of Anubis. Teal eyes fell shut as he collapsed. Managi gasped and found herself again in Talpa's grip. He had lifted her by her breastplate.

"And now, my dear… it is time to die."

A threatening rattle broke through the silence of the clearing. Talpa's chuckling died down and he carefully scanned the area. No one but an unconscious Anubis was around… Talpa snarled deep in his throat. He snapped his head to where Sekhmet had been laying lifeless: gone.

Managi hissed loudly and sank her large fangs into Talpa's throat, clamping down for life. "HN! Stupid bitch!" he snarled and easily ripped her from his neck. He backhanded her hard enough to knock her senseless.

The threatening rattle came again. Something was here. Something dark. He stood wearily. "Come out…" he ordered.

Silence. Talpa snarled with frustration and kneeled back down to Managi to take her. The rattle came once more followed by a hiss. Talpa's eyes fell to the brush in front of him. A pair of dark glowing teal eyes glared out at him through the leaves. Talpa smiled darkly. "Well, well…" The rattle came again as the form slipped out from the brush. Scales of dark grey glistened in the sunlight as the creature stood upright. The tip of its tail twitched dangerously, rattling angrily. "… Your highness!" Talpa laughed and bowed graciously. "It has ages, o Serpent Emperor, Naotoki…" Sekhmet crouched on clawed feet, his scaled sides gleaming. The glowing teal eyes glared darkly at the former Dynasty emperor. The pale human-like face bared its fangs, features framed with forest green tufts of hair.

_"Get away from her!"_ Sekhmet hissed, tail lashing out at Talpa.

Talpa leapt away from Managi's body. Sekhmet crept towards him slowly.

With a loud hiss, he lunged at him, swiping at his body with a claw. Talpa leapt away and laughing. A ribbon of teal flame past through Sekhmet's lips before he opened his mouth wide and shot a pillar of flames from his throat. Talpa attempted to deflect it with his arm, but was engulfed with the searing flames. They dissipated after only a few seconds. Talpa snarled and removed the familiar broadsword from the sheath beneath the long black robes. "… Is that the best you have?" he chuckled. Holding up his weapon, Talpa began to chant. The whispers grew from soft to loud. Sekhmet screeched in pain. The whispers stabbed at his skull, burning holes into his brain. His skin crawled painfully as he convulsed and fell to his knees, clawing at his head helplessly, screaming, and shrieking until it stopped. Blood dripped from his pointed ears and onto the, corroding it instantly. An armored foot dug into his side. Sekhmet groaned in pain. Talpa clicked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk, tsk…" he sneered. "No wonder you couldn't protect your kingdom and that whore bride of yours…" Sekhmet's eyes flashed wildly. "… Yes, whore," Talpa continued and kicked him again. "But you know something else?" He kneeled onto Sekhmet's neck with a knee. "She's MINE…" he whispered. "And there isn't a damn thing you can do about it…"

Sekhmet suddenly slashed Talpa's face, dragging his claws across it. Talpa fell back screaming and clutching his face. Sekhmet wrapped his tail around his neck and squeezed. Talpa clawed at it madly, ripping away grey scales. Blood oozed out from his lips, just before Sekhmet crushed his throat with a sickening crack.

Talpa began to chuckle, surprising Sekhmet greatly. "Very… impressive, your highness…" And with that, Talpa vanished in a burst of black flames. Sekhmet snarled loudly and shatter a boulder with his tail angrily.

A soft groan met his ears, he turned his head and found Managi turning Anubis' drugged body over carefully. Frightened tears fell from her eyes as she tried to examine the wound. Sekhmet's eyes widened. When had Anubis gotten here? Had he tried saving her? His thoughts were ripped from him when she called his name.

"Naotoki!"

* * *

Managi stayed in a shy silence as the Lady Kayura gently bandaged her arm. Everything had happened so fast. Sekhmet had reverted to his human form without a word and carried Anubis back to the house. Managi had followed closely until they had reached the home of her enemy. It was then she met Lady Mia and the other former warlords. Instead of turning her away, they brought her inside. 

And there she was, sitting in the kitchen, being tended to as if she had been there all along.

"There. That should take care of you until Halo returns. Until then you need to get some rest, all right?" Kayura said gently. Managi held her bandaged forearm and nodded silently. Kayura noticed that she was shaking. Kayura smiled softly and took her hands. "I know how overwhelmed you must feel… It will get easier over the next few days. You will grow to like it here, I promise." Tears fell from a silent Managi's eyes as she lowered her face to cry. "Come now. Let's get you some new clothes…" Managi sniffled and dried her eyes in shock.

"But-"

"Oh, come now! You didn't think that I would let you run around in your armor for heaven's sake?!"

"N-No, I just…"

"Come on! I know some GREAT outfits that Sekhmet will just go crazy over!" she beamed and dragged her out of the kitchen and upstairs to Tori and her room. Managi peered into the cozy room. It was much warmer than the cold stone walls. She sat on Tori's bed. "Something wrong?" Kayura asked and dug through the drawers.

"Oh… everything is so… pink." Kayura blushed.

"Rekka hates it too. She likes red… A LOT… Let's see. Ah HA!"

* * *

"OW!! Dammit, Dais!" Sekhmet hissed. "That friggin' hurts!" 

"Oh, don't be such a baby…" Dais fastened the rest of the bandage on Sekhmet's abdomen. "So… What are you going to say to him?"

"Huh?"

"To Anubis… It's about time you put all this behind you. Managi is alive," Dais explained as he put away the first aid. "He did save her from Talpa until you regained your senses, remember?" Sekhmet remained quiet.

* * *

Mia finished bandaging the bite wound on Anubis' neck. The anti-venom worked wonders. "Mnn…" Anubis' eyes slowly opened. Mia smiled down at him. 

"Welcome back. How do you feel?" she said gently.

"Mmnn… _Fabulous_," he groaned. "I feel like I've been drugged."

"Because you have," Managi answered from the chair beside him. She had adorned one of Tori's outfits that probably left her feeling a little vulnerable. Anubis' eyes widened as he turned to look at the former snake empress. "Honestly… You need to be more careful. You aren't any help to anyone if you are dead," she sighed.

"I'll go see how Sekhmet is doing…" Mia said quickly and hurried out of the room. Anubis felt his face getting hot. His past had finally caught up with him. "Come to take your revenge, my lady?" Anubis closed his eyes. "Be quick about it then…"

"I'm not going to kill you, fool… I'd rather you live with the guilt; however… I'm not one to hold a grudge. Talpa is to blame for your actions, not you…" Anubis remained silent until Managi stood to leave.

"Boy or girl?" Managi turned, shocked.

"W-what?" Anubis struggled to sit up.

"… I would like to know if you were having a baby boy or… baby girl…" he whispered softly. "To know if I helped destroy a powerful heir… or a wise princess… is-"

"… I… a girl," Managi whispered, touching her belly. Something flashed inside her head for a brief moment: cries, pain… and horrid laughter. As soon as it came, it was gone.

"M-my lady? May I ask something of you?" She turned her back.

"A-aye…"

"… As long as I have known Sekhmet, he has hated me… Do you think it-"

"That I can forgive you?" Sekhmet finished. Anubis and Managi jumped. He leaned against the doorframe with a smirk. "My lady, wait for me in my room…" She nodded quickly and hurried out. Sekhmet shut the door behind him.

"Is it true? You saved her?" Anubis lowered his eyes.

"… I did what I could. YOU saved her…" Sekhmet sat beside Anubis.

"Pheh… I never thought this day would come. I never thought I would get a second chance," he whispered. "… Thanks…" He glanced back at Anubis and made a face. "Oh, gods… You're not going to cry, are you?! You're so emotional! You're acting like a woman!!" he laughed. Anubis grinned and laughed, wiping happy tears away that were not just in his eyes too.

"You're one to talk!" he laughed. "You wear purple eye shadow!"

"For the LAST time, it's war paint!"

"Funny that's what Kayura calls it." Sekhmet pulled him into a semi headlock. "Ow, hey!"

"… Hey," Sekhmet began softly. Anubis froze.

"What?" Sekhmet gave the younger man a friendly embrace and sighed heavily.

"… Thank you." Anubis, stunned for a moment returned the gesture gently.

"So, you were watching weren't you?" Sekhmet suddenly inquired and pulled away quickly as if Anubis had some sort of illness. Anubis' face turned red knowing exactly what Sekhmet meant.

"I, uh… Wait. How the hell did you know I was there?!"

"… You made so much noise trying to stay hidden!" Sekhmet laughed. Anubis just turned bright red.

* * *

WAAAAAAGH. I'M SORRY!!!! I KNOOOOOW! It's been forever! I had so much crap go on all at once I fell into a kinda depressive state. ::cries:: The next chapter might reflect some of that… 


	35. With or Without You

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Thirty-Five: With or Without You

The warm night air smelled of dampened earth and the sweet scent of the beautiful flowers growing in Lady Mia's garden. Cale glanced at his watch for the tenth time in a minute. He couldn't believe the case of butterflies he had right then. He had been experiencing them all day long after breakfast… If Mia saw him like this, it would be a definite minus three on the manliness scale.

"I've got to calm down!" he chuckled nervously. He began to pace. "'Kay, this is it, man… You're _finally_ alone with the girl! No interruptions of any kind… well, there _is_ Talpa… and… Kurai. That could be a problem…" He paused. "Ah. Nothing's perfect. Okay, okay, okay, okay… I got to be gentle… don't hold her hand unless she wants to, try not to comment on just her looks, um… let's see… Dammit. What else did that damned magazine of Kayura's say!?… AH! Flowers!" Cale scanned the garden for one. "Okay… Red!… No, wait… that's too fast. Yellow… nooo…" He grinned when he spotted a pale pink rose bush. He started to laugh to himself.

"Who's the man, NOW, Dais?" he chuckled.

"Cale? What are you doing?" Mia asked from behind. Cale jumped with a yelp and fell backwards.

"… ow…" Mia crouched down beside him, laughing gently.

"Are you all right, Cale?" she smiled. "I didn't mean to scare you… I seem to be doing that a lot lately!" Cale blushed gently and smiled.

"N-no. It's all right… I… uh… Here." He presented her with the flower. Mia's eyes widened. She recognized it from her garden, of course, but she smiled, taking it.

"Thank you, Cale… That's sweet of you," she said. "You helped me plant these, didn't you? You did a good job. They're so healthy!" she marveled.

"Plant things with love and you can't go wrong with that," he smiled. Mia pulled him to his feet with quite a struggle. He weighed so much! Cale brushed himself off and grumbled to himself. (Way to go, man… That's suave… Oi), the former warlord thought.

"So," Mia began softly, "What did you plan to do with me on this nice evening, besides…" she paused, pulling a small twig out of Cale's soft hair, "gardening?" Cale opened his mouth to answer, but closed it.

"Well," he then began again, "let's go for a row boat ride first," he finished, extending his hand to hers. She took it slowly. The sword calloused palm enclosed around her slender one with a gentle smile. Mia pulled herself close to his arm as they started down the path to the dock. She couldn't help but feel a stare on her back the further she and Cale walked.

* * *

Ryo sighed at the shopping list that Sai had scribbled for him. His other arm was around Tori's neck as they walked down the streets of Tokyo in the cold winter air of the late afternoon. "Why is it that _we_ always get stuck with the shopping?" 

"'Cause Sai will buy too much, Kento won't buy _anything_ on that list and Rowen… well, he's resting. What are we getting anyway?" she asked and peered over his shoulder.

"More food. We have food at the apartment! Geez, look at this: chocolate bunnies, marshmallows, pixi stix, duct tape?????"

"'Duct tape'?" Tori repeated. They both sighed.

"Rowen," they chorused, remembering that he had not quite gotten Sage back from the videotape incident. Ryo frowned. "This is crap…" He felt Tori sigh heavily. She didn't seem to be paying much attention. He stopped walking. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh… nothing," she lied. "I-I'm fine…"

"Like hell you are. You've been gloomy this whole time you've been here! You passed up shopping with Sakura and Megami! You've had nightmares every night since we left-"

"You-"

"Yeah, I pretended to be asleep. I'm worried about you! This is supposed to be a vacation!" Tori lowered her eyes.

"You try acting all sunshine and daisies when your friends are getting shot, attacked, dumped, and half the country is in a state of emergency…" Ryo sighed.

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it. You've been like this _before_ all that happened. I know what's bothering you, 'Ri-san. It's not going to get better if you don't talk about him, you know." Tori didn't look up.

"It's got nothing to do with Anubis, if that's what you mean," she mumbled. Ryo shook his head and saw that they had stopped by the park. He took her hand.

"C'mon, let's go this way."

"But the shopping!"

"We'll get it on the way back; don't worry!" Ryo led the way down the path towards a familiar bridge from four years ago. No one was around when they stopped in the middle of it. He looked down at the boards. The marks of the short battle there were still there: Cale's claw, Dais' scythe, Sekhmet's swords…

"What's wrong, 'Yo?" Tori asked and crouched down beside him. They sat in the middle of the bridge.

"Just… remembering. Ya know… this is the spot where Anubis decided to stop fighting for the Dynasty. He sat here and Kaos told him what his virtue really meant… I guess that broke whatever hold Talpa had on him. The others weren't willing to leave Talpa just yet though, so we had to fight for Anubis… We lost, but… we won sort of that day." Ryo traced some of the marks on the wood. Tori sat in an awed silence. "You know… He… told me to watch you for him while we were here…" he added. Tori looked up from her reflection.

"Who?"

"… Anubis," he replied. "He… made me promise that I'd keep an eye on you and make sure you were out of danger… He said that he had a bad feeling that something awful was going to happen to you… I didn't think much of it then, but after everything that has happened since we got here… I think that he… y'know… really cares about you." He looked over at her. Tori just stared into her reflection in the water.

"… Ryo. I don't mean to doubt you. I know you'd never lie to me about something this serious, but… I wish I could believe that he really feels that way. S-sure I think he's a great guy, but… he's got someone else on his mind… I don't doubt his feelings at all, but I think he cares about the hope… the dream… rather than me," she whispered with a sniffle. Ryo's eyes widened.

"Whoa… Do you… love him, 'Ri-san?" he asked softly. Tori shrugged.

"I guess. I love you too, y'know-"

"I meant-"

"I know what you meant, Ryo," she said quickly with a heavy blush. "But I think what I feel is… just loneliness and I guess… empty. It gets bad when I see the way you look at Kayura, or when Sai and Sakura have this look in their eyes right before they kiss… and when I think of Anubis like that I just… Yeah, it might be nice, but… he's got Zeal and… no matter what he may think or say or do… she is always going to be the one to influence that. It hurts regardless if I like him or not… It's like the only reason you date someone is because they remind you of your old lover and you don't want to let go of that past. I don't want to be someone's past."

"So, if he told you he loved you…?"

"… I'd… I couldn't believe him. He would have to prove it to me somehow that it's ME not her." Tori lowered her eyes. "Besides… I all ready care about someone," she mumbled.

"Really, who?" Ryo asked in a sly tone, nudging her with his shoulder.

"Like I'm really going to tell you!" she squeaked. "First you wanna know how I feel about Anubis, next you wanna know who I have a crush on!" she laughed. "Sorry, 'Yo. You don't get two in one day!"

"Aw, c'mon! I won't tell! I swear! You know about Kayura!"

"'Cause it was so freakin' obvious!" she laughed. "… Maybe I'll tell you later. If you don't stop asking-"

"It's Cale, isn't it?!" he exclaimed. Tori blushed.

"W-what?"

"Youuuu liiike Caaale!" Ryo sang. "Youuuu liiike Caaale!"

"Stop it!" she laughed. "I do not!"

"Your face says otherwise!" he pointed out.

"Shut up!"

A blazing orb of sapphire colored flames sent them and the small bridge flying. Tori landed back first into a park bench, shattering it into pieces. Ryo crumpled to the ground beside her with a loan groan. "So, you've moved on from Anubis all ready, you little whore!" He shook the ringing from his ears and turned to find Zeal hovering over the flaming remains of the bridge. Ryo rolled his eyes.

"Man. Don't you have anything better to do than be jealous all the time?! God!" he snapped. Tori sat up slowly and snarled at the throbbing pain in her back.

"Yeah, Jesus! Get a fuckin' life!" she snapped. "Come one, Ryo, let's-" Zeal cut her off from further speech as she snatched her up by her throat. Ryo charged her, armor forming around him. Zeal held up her hand, causing him to fly backwards and into the ground.

"Pacify yourself, boy. My quarrel is not with you… yet," Zeal spoke. She dived into the ground with Tori back first. The younger girl choked back a scream.

"Tori!!!" Ryo exclaimed and drew his katanas. Zeal's head whipped upwards finding him dive-bombing her. Zeal darted out of the way. "Back off, you crazy bitch!" Ryo demanded. He stood in front of Tori as she managed to pick herself up. "You wanna fight her? You gotta go through me." Zeal sat in mid-air, crossing her legs. She laughed.

"You cannot be serious, boy…"

"I'm about as serious as you are ugly…" Zeal rolled her eyes and held her palm outward.

"Please! Enough of the childish remarks," she sneered and sent a large blast of dark energy into him. Ryo sank to his knees as the electrical pulses ripped through his body. Zeal grinned the more he screamed.

"Didn't you hear him?!" Tori snapped and hit her from behind with a burst of fire. "Back the fuck off, crazy bitch!" Zeal turned and snarled down at her. She looked back at Wildfire. He wasn't going to interfere for a while. Zeal then simply smiled when Tori held another fire blast ready for her.

"You wish to fight me, do you?" Zeal laughed. Tori's eyes narrowed.

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm going to avenge my sister… then kill you… slowly…" A light seemed to go on in Zeal's mind, showing it on her face. Her smile then grew ever darker.

"Ahh, so _you_ are the sister of that crying brat… I should have guessed." Tori launched the ball at her with a scream. Zeal dodged it effectively.

"Shut up!" she demanded.

"Or what?" she bade.

"This!" She concentrated briefly… nothing. "Wh-what?" _I could do it before! I can't…_

"Something amiss?" Zeal asked as if she knew what happened. "Ohh, that's right!" she gasped, before launching herself at her and tackling her into the ground, by her neck. Tori clamped a hand around the hand helplessly as it squeezed. Zeal just laughed lightly. "You are too far away from your little peacock, my dear…" A smile curled onto her dark lips when she removed a very long tanto from it's place on her belt. The metal gleamed in the setting sunlight. "Too bad. I was hoping for something more… entertaining."

"… Ergh. Entertain this." Tori slammed a large rock into Zeal's temple and shoved her off of her. She snatched the tanto from where Zeal dropped it and gave Zeal plenty of space. She eyed Ryo carefully as she fell into a defensive stance.

_Still out cold…_ Zeal shook the pain from her skull and lifted herself into the air, summoning a spear from dark blue fire. Her eyes burned down into the Rekka summoner.

"No more games. This ends now," she glowered. Tori glared back.

"Bring it." Zeal suddenly cocked a smile.

"If you insist… Dark Priests come forth!" Tori made a face.

_She did NOT just say that… LAAME!_ Her criticism soon turned to concern as two dark masses materialized from portals in the ground. Familiar tattered rags of jet and ghostly white claws emerged slowly. Tori's eyes widened with fear. The dark hoods lifted sharply and dark, sapphire orbs glowed eerily at her. Tori swallowed hard. The screeching, the scratching then ripping of her flesh, then nothing. Her heart began to ache painfully. Zeal giggled softly.

"You feel it, don't you?" she whispered into her ear as she suddenly appeared behind her. Tori gasped and swiped blindly and carelessly at her. Zeal caught her wrist in a painful grip and squeezed it hard. The tanto fell from her grasp. Zeal lifted her barely off of the ground. "You feel the fear?" she breathed, close to her face. Tori turned away with a whimper. The whispering from her nightmares started coming from the two wraith like creatures. Before she knew it, ice like hand held her high above the ground. And Zeal was leering down at her.

"N-no… S-stop it!" she pleaded. "No more!" Zeal smiled.

"Raiko may have liked to tease his prey before killing it… maybe… play with her," she began softly and ran her fingers along the inside of Tori's thigh. Tori squirmed and turned away from her touch. Zeal scoffed lifted herself to face level with the frightened summoner. "… I prefer to _terrorize_… How are you sleeping at night, by the way?" she chuckled. "Having any… dreams of late? About someone to take you away from the fighting? Someone special? Hmm?" she asked. Tori jerked sharply anger rising anew.

"About someone who wouldn't touch YOUR skanky ass in a thousand years," she snarled. Zeal blinked a moment, not quite sure what she meant by "skanky". Zeal backhanded her hard. Whatever she meant, she didn't like her tone. Tori whimpered and cringed as another blow came to her stomach. Zeal snatched her hair sharply and leaned close.

"… Go ahead, scream. Perhaps Wildfire shall save you…" she hissed. "Regardless… you are _mine_. I'm around every corner, in every shadow… I'll always be inside your… head. Your dreams… will be more than nightmares. and when I am through with you… you shall wish you had never been born to that _pig_ you call a mother…" Zeal summoned the tanto to her hand. "Master Kurai wants you dead… and all your little girlfriends," she announced. She slashed her cheek sharply, drawing a yelp from the shaking, but very angry summoner. Tori felt the blood seeping out and running down her chin. It stung. "I want to _break_ you first…" she said softly, slashing at her leg. "First… I'll take away your family…" Zeal made another swipe on her stomach. "Then your friends… your world…" Tori cried out as she dragged the razor sharp blade along her throat, cutting almost too deeply. Zeal suddenly thrust the blade into her shoulder. A loud howl ripped from Tori's throat as she dug and twisted the weapon in different positions. Zeal looked at her as if nothing were wrong. "… but before I kill you, you get to watch me kill him… slowly… painfully… until there is not a shred of sanity left in you…" Zeal ripped the blade out sharply. Tori whimpered painfully. Blood ran like a slow river, staining her blouse and jeans.

"You are pitiful, you know that?" Anubis' voice rang from behind Zeal. Tori managed to lift her head to find the former Warlord of Cruelty's glare freezing Zeal in her spot. Tori's eyes widened. _H-how?_

"YOU?! I should _kill_ you, you ungrateful bastard!!" she shrieked charging at him. Anubis slipped to the side and her chest connected with an armored knee. Both wraiths, screeched loudly and charged at Anubis, dropping Tori instantly. She fell to the grass with a thud. Swinging once, he cleaved both in two, both vanishing into dust. He turned slowly to find Zeal hovering in front of him.

"… You can't protect her forever, Anubis. Sooner or later…" Zeal departed into the bright light of the fading sun.

Tori groaned as she felt something lift her gently. Upon opening her eyes, she found Anubis looking down at her with concern. Tori gasped and bolted upright, forgetting her injuries. She clutched her bloody shoulder tightly with a small wince and just stared at the auburn haired man from his lap.

"Can you stand?" he asked. Tori nodded and flushed when he pulled her to her feet. Tori reached up and touched his chest.

"How… how is it that you're here?" she whispered. Anubis simply gave her a soft smile.

"Because he wishes it, little one."

"'He'?" Anubis leaned down and kissed her forehead gently.

"You know who… I'm always here… remember that." Tori flushed and nodded silently.

"Tori!!! Heeey!!!!" Ryo called and rushed toward her. Tori gasped and turned to him.

"Ryo! Are you all right?!" Tori suddenly stumbled. She was feeling lightheaded.

"Yeah, but you're not! We need to get you to Sage!" Tori moaned softly.

"Yeah… Anubis saved me," she mumbled.

"Huh?! How? He's in Toyama!" he protested. Tori shook her head.

"No, he's right… here?" Tori turned to where Anubis had been standing to find him gone.

"Hon, I think you've lost a lot of blood."

"No! NO, dammit! He was here! I saw him! I _touched_ him!! Unn…" Tori suddenly fell limp into Ryo's armored arms. A bright, shining golden light caught his eye from behind a shred of what was left of her sleeve. He pulled it back to see the virtue 'Loyalty' fading with the sunlight.

* * *

Domo touched her forehead as she felt something damp and cool gently wipe at her cheeks and neck. She murmured softly and opened her eyes. Sage pulled his hand away and smiled softly down at her. "…Sage? 

"Hey… How do you feel?" he murmured softly.

"I feel sick… a little drugged up… What happened?"

"I guess it's the effect of the poison in your system. Korin probably wasn't strong enough to make you immune to it. At least it didn't kill you. You'll have to wear it out until Sekhmet can give you his anti-venom," he explained softly. Domo glanced at the clock. A little after six in the evening it read.

"… We go home tomorrow?" she asked. Sage hesitated when she referred to the manor as 'home'. It then dawned on him that there was no longer a place she had to go. A visit to her apartment (without her knowledge of course) was less than helpful to the situation. The mother wouldn't even speak to him about her or wanted to know where she was. Sage had left the apartment in a hurry, angry and a little broken hearted. "Sage?" she began again. "What?"

"O-oh, I uh… went to your apartment today to get some of your belonging, but…" He stopped. Domo closed her eyes.

"… Don't worry about it, Sage," she began, "I haven't been home in weeks really. This was before we came to you guys. Mom and I had a fight and… I moved out."

"So where did you stay…? Oh, over there…"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you and everyone else. I didn't think that it was important at the time. I just don't have a place to live now," she sighed.

"There's Mia's house. It's not your average normal family housing… but it's home," he said softly. Domo didn't look up. She just turned over on her side away from him.

"… I'm tired, Sage. Can you let me sleep some more?" _Just go. Stop being so nice to me, please… Please Sage…_

"S-sure… Call me if you need me… I'll be in the living room with the others," he said softly. She felt a soft kiss on the back of her head, making tears rise to her eyes, before she heard the door click softly behind her.

* * *

Mia leaned along the side of the boat and dragged her fingertips through the water's surface. This felt nice she had to admit. The moon was full, the air was warm and pungent after the rain they had, and it was quiet. But something pricked her in the back of her mind that she couldn't seem to shake. 

"Is something bothering you, my lady?" Cale asked softly and pulled the oars into the boat when they reached its center. Mia sat up slowly and watched Cale sit beside her.

"It's nothing, Cale. I'm… I'm all right," she lied. She wasn't fine, but it really was nothing to worry about. The nightmare from that morning still bothered her. Cale sighed heavily.

"My lady, are you sure? Sometimes… it's best to talk about things that are troubling you, rather than hiding them from being released. It isn't healthy, you know. I wouldn't want to you get ill from stress or anything. I mean you all ready have enough to worry about, like the end of the world, feeding everyone-"

"Okay!" she laughed. "I'll… I'll tell you! My goodness, Cale…" He blushed.

"Sorry…" He felt her hug his large arm. "… Did something happen?" He then paused with a frown. "Did Dais do something?!" he growled. Mia giggled.

"No… He didn't do anything to me… This happened a while ago." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Y-you see, Cale… about a year ago… I… someone… hurt me… and I haven't really gotten over it. It's complicated… I, um… well…" Cale turned to her and held her arms gently.

"My lady… It's all right," he whispered. "I understand how you feel…" Mia's eyes widened.

"Y-you do?! But…" He touched her mouth with his fingers.

"Sh, hey… I know it hurts sometimes when you think about old loves. The memories, the time and energy spent seems in vain… But if you keep all the good ones, you can start to heal. Everyone looses someone they love, but fate always steps in and gives you a chance to love again. A chance to be brave and risk getting hurt again, but in the end… it won't matter who has broken your heart however many times. What matters is who you are now and new love you can find…" Mia smiled tearfully and sniffled.

"Really, Cale?" He smiled.

"Aye… It doesn't matter to me who you were with, or what you did with that person. The point is that… I love you… just as you are. Heartbreak can be devastating…" He leaned down to her ear. "Just let me take it away… I won't hurt you, I promise," he whispered. Mia lowered her eyes. He had no idea about what had happened a year earlier.

_For all he knows is that some rouge of a boyfriend had dumped me…_ Mia gasped when she felt his hands on her cheeks and his thumbs wiping away the tears. Tears he thought were happy ones. He started to planted gentle kisses all over her brow. Mia felt a lump rise into her throat. "C-cale… Please, I need to tell you something. I-"

"Shh, no more talking," he breathed before silencing her with a full kiss. He folded his arms around her little body when he felt her sigh into his kiss. He felt her clutch the fabric of his shirt on his chest and heard her whimper as he lay her down at the bottom of the boat. He felt warmth against his tongue as her mouth finally parted to return it timidly. He caressed her face with a war-roughened hand before dragging his fingertips down her pale neck and over to the first button of her blouse, then to the second, third, fourth, and fifth. Mia moaned softly as she felt cooler air against her chest and Cale's warm lips against her neck. She buried her hands into his soft hair, pulling him close. Cale snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her right against him. "C-cale… I… I don't…"

"Hush," he said in a silken tone before claiming her mouth again. Sword calloused hands slid to the front of her and onto the clasp of the only article of clothing separating her from his touch. He felt her hands on his instantly and she pushed them away. "No!" she breathed. "I… I can't…" She pulled her arms close and hugged herself, almost like a shield. Cale leaned over her looking somewhat shocked. Mia turned her head. "Please, Cale… I… can't do this," she whimpered. He sat up and she did more slowly. He sat back and watched her redress herself. He was almost appalled at what almost occurred. He then suddenly sensed the overwhelming fear again, along with guilt, and sadness among other things, especially shame. He noted her quivering form and then something else. There was a large mark running from in between her breasts and to her collarbone. _"Someone hurt me…"… Someone…!_

It then dawned on him. Everything made perfect sense: the crying spells she sometimes had, the marks, the hesitance of a touch, the covering up… Cale then lowered his eyes. "… W-when?"

"When what?" she whispered.

"When were you raped?!" he demanded in an almost cry. Mia cringed.

"… A year ago, while we were in Yokohama… I got separated from Kento and Sai and… they didn't find me until hours later… I'm sorry!" she whimpered. Cale didn't say anything. He simply set the oars into the water and began back to the dock.

Cale stepped out of the boat and secured it to the dock. He turned to help Mia, but stopped. She just sat silently in the boat shaking as if it were ten degrees outside. He kneeled slowly and extended his hand. "Here… Let us get you back indoors," he said gently. Mia looked up at him with sad eyes before taking his hand. He lifted her with ease. He held onto her hand steadfastly. "My lady… Why… why didn't you tell me?"

"P-please, Cale. The others don't know…"

"You could have told me-" Mia ripped her hand from his grasp.

"How?!" she cried. "Tell me how?! By telling you how it felt to be ripped into?! How he beat me and pulled my hair when I didn't moan just right!? How it felt to inhale his semen when I nearly gagged to death?!" she screamed. "How about that even though I screamed for him to stop, my body wanted more!? Is THAT enough for you!?" She broke off into a run back towards the house.

"My lady!!"

* * *

Dais growled to himself. He had tried every kind of prayer he knew to meditate, and still he couldn't concentrate. Frankly, he didn't want to admit it, but he was a little bit frustrated. He just couldn't help but be bothered by the fact that Mia agreed to a… "date"… with Cale. He knew how Cale felt about her and he too cared about her deeply. He felt that he couldn't act on his feeling out of respect for Cale. Cale had a troubling past, he so drunkenly told him one night, and that made it even harder for Dais. Cale needed something good to happen in his life and for once there was something that Dais noticed on him whenever she walked into the room. She made him happy… at peace. 

Peace was something that they all wanted with themselves, and he wasn't about to betray a friend's trust for his own. He would not force himself on her or try and drive them apart. It was not in his nature no matter how painful.

Dais groaned and ran his hands through his hair.

He felt more than 'a little frustrated'.

The veranda screen door shot open and Mia tried to hurry through it, but tripped on the last step leading onto the veranda. She hit the floor with a cry. Dais found himself instantly by her side. "Mia, what happened?! Where's Cale?" he asked and sat her up. He noticed that her shirt had been hastily buttoned unlike before when she left. He grit his teeth. "Did Cale do something?!" he demanded. She looked up at him and whimpered before burying her face in his chest. "Bastard-"

"N-no!" she whimpered and held him still. "Please. He-he didn't… I just…" Dais sighed heavily and lifted her to her feet.

"Come… walk with me, my lady," he said, taking her hand. Mia hesitated for a moment before letting him lead her out of the veranda and down the path towards the greenhouse. They walked in silence. Dais walked inside the greenhouse and sat on the worktable. "What happened?" he asked softly. Mia stared at the ground. "My lady, sit," he beckoned. "Now what happened?"

"… He asked me if something was bothering me…"

"Was something bothering you?" Mia nodded.

"The nightmare I had earlier," she sniffled. "Anyway… I started to tell him what happened, but… he thought that I had only a broken heart from a bad relationship. He then told me that he loved me despite-"

"Do you love him?" Dais interrupted. _No, this is wrong._ Mia blushed heavily and shook her head.

"I thought I did," she lied. "But… that's not the reason I ran-"

"It _is_ the reason you ran away from him, my lady!" Dais interrupted, unable to hold in his emotions. "It is because you _don't_ love him!"

"No! You're wrong!" she argued and slipped off of the table. "I care for Cale very deeply!"

"I don't doubt that in the least, but it still does not mean that you love him with everything that you have! If you did, you wouldn't…" He stopped. Mia frowned.

"I wouldn't _what_, Dais?!"

"You wouldn't be here with _me_ talking about who you care about more!" he shouted. Mia gasped and paused.

"… What do you mean by 'more'? Dais…"

"… Because of what happened to you a year ago has made you… very hesitant to be around anyone of the opposite sex, save Kento and Sai. When anyone tries to show you the slightest bit of affection and attraction, you cower away-"

"That's ridiculous!"

"It isn't and you know it!" he shouted. "If it is then so ridiculous, then explain what just happened out there tonight?! Explain why you cannot let Cale even touch you, but… let me without the slightest recoil," he finished softly, approaching her slowly. He lowered his face. _Forgive me, my friend, but I cannot linger with this ache any longer…_ "I can tell you… It is because you hold someone in your heart more dear… than him," he stated.

* * *

Cale leaned against the large oak tree next to the garage. "Where could she have gone?" he asked aloud._"No, you're wrong!"_ He heard Mia shout. Cale's ears pricked and he looked towards the garden. "Greenhouse?"

* * *

Mia stared out the window at the moonlight on the lake. She felt Dais right behind her. He was waiting for her reply. She lowered her eyes, feeling the ache in her heart that she had long thought could never return. She remained silent. 

Dais saw her hair glow in the moonlight as she fiddled with the potted flowers. He didn't like being so forward and aggressive with her at any moment. He lifted his hand to the nape of her neck and pulled himself closer. "… I… did not mean to yell. It wasn't my place to-"

"No, Dais," she whispered. "You're right… I ran because I was afraid of him… because I didn't love him… because I _couldn't_ love him." Dais turned her around gently.

"What are you saying?" Mia felt her face get hot as his hands held her arms. Tears rolled down her face.

"… I've forgotten how," she replied softly. Dais slipped a hand to her neck and cheek. She made a small gasp with the contact, but held it to her skin.

"I doubt that, my lady," he began. "…If I could learn to love after half a millennia of darkness within my heart, then surely… you could love more than I could ever hope to. Yet… if you truly believe that you have lost the one thing that I admire most about you… then with the company you keep and all the love that surrounds you… I'm sure that you shall find it." Dais wiped the falling tears from her eyes with a small smile. Mia swallowed hard and rested her cheek against his shoulder. He smelled like the earth and a hint of something else. The scent calmed her somehow.

There was a soft patter against the roof of the glass house. They both looked up and saw a soft rain pelt the roof. "More rain?" she sighed.

"Seems so," Dais agreed. "Looks like we'll be stuck here for a little while…" Mia saw a crack in the roof as the water fell into an all ready too full pot.

"Might as well straighten up in here," she began and lifted the pot towards the door. She poured out the remaining water. Dais stared blankly at her. "What?" she demanded.

"You. You never cease to surprise me with the control you have on your emotions." Mia lowered her eyes and set the pot back.

"Lots of practice, I guess… Ouch!" She yanked her hand back sharply and winced.

"What happened?" Mia sucked on her finger.

"I cut myself-what are you doing?!" she gasped when he took her hand to examine it. Dais removed a handkerchief from his back pocket and held it under the stream of water from the leak in the roof. He wrapped her finger and held it firmly to halt the bleeding.

"You must learn to be more cautious, my lady," he said. "Must I always remind you?" he laughed. Mia blushed.

"… This…"

"Hm? Did you say something?" Mia touched the cloth.

"This is the same one that you used to wipe the dirt from my face the last time it rained here," she said softly. Dais pretended to be overly interested.

"Hm, so it is… Your memory is-" He stiffened when she pressed her lips against his gently and covered his hand. She pulled away slowly after a long moment. Dais stood shocked. "-amazing," he managed to finish. He held Mia's hands looking for her eyes.

"Y-you were right… I _do_ hold someone in my heart more dear than Cale," she whispered, looking up at him. Dais felt his heart leap.

"… My lady… what of Cale? Should he find out, he-" Mia pulled away abruptly.

"O-oh… I see… N-nevermind, then." She turned to go when Dais caught her wrist and yanked her to him, before kissing her softly and confidently.

"… Don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you," he whispered. Mia flushed with a nod.

"Sorry… what were you saying?" she breathed.

"… Are… you certain that this is what you want?" he asked softly. "He'll kill me, you know." Mia buried her face into his neck and gripped the fabric of his shirt on his back. Dais felt her body relax as he snaked his arms around her. "… Y-yes. I… love you, Dais," she whispered. "M'sorry, Cale," she sniffled aloud.

There was a loud bang, startling the both of them. They looked towards the door. Beside it, one of the panes of glass was cracked as if a bird had struck it with such force. "What in the world was that?" Mia asked as they inspected it. Dais went to the door and looked out into the rain. _Cale…_

"Dais?"

"Nothing, Mia… It was probably a bird or something."

"Where is it? The poor thing…" Dais kept staring out into the darkness.

"… He probably sought shelter… to recover from his wound," he said softly. "Best to let things alone. Some things… cannot be mended quickly…"

* * *

"Ooh… I wonder if they have this in black?" Kayura mused as she flipped through a lingerie catalogue. She flipped a page and saw another set in a deep dark red. Kayura blushed heavily as Wildfire came to mind. She clutched her cheeks and kicked her legs playfully. "I'm such a naughty girl!" she giggled. She jumped when there came a soft knock at her door. "Eek! W-who is it?" When there came no answer she climbed off her bed and opened the door. She gasped when she saw Cale. His wild blue hair hid his eyes as it dripped full of water. "… Cale… what is it? You're soaked!" She opened the door and fetched a towel from her bathroom. She set an extra towel for him to sit on and pulled him to sit beside her. "Cale? Are… are you all right?" she asked softly. He shook his head.

"… I thought that I'd forgotten what… heartbreak feels like…" he said softly, not looking up. Kayura started to dry his hair gently. "I feel like I can't breathe… Like s-something is crushing deep inside of me… slowly. I-it's… getting worse." Kayura felt his whole body shudder with every breath. She felt her heart sink and she grasped his chilled hand. He clutched it tightly before at last looking her in the eye. "… My lady…" he called before hiding his face into her neck. He collapsed to silent tears and let Kayura offer warmly what her tiny arms had to give.

* * *

Mia caught Dais' eyes briefly just as Cale walked into the kitchen for breakfast the next morning. She steeled herself for any hostility from the former master of darkness. She poured another glass of orange juice for him and for Kayura as she walked in. "Good morning, you two," she greeted as cheerfully as she could manage. Kayura gave her a soft nod before sitting next to Cale. She reached over and touched his arm, whispering something into his ear. Cale nodded slowly. 

"Hey, don't Ryo and the others comeback today?" Yuli asked, breaking the awkward silence. "Whiteblaze is so lonely…"

"I believe that they are returning this afternoon," Dais answered. "You would do well to see that you don't pester any of them… I have a feeling that there little sabbatical was not as pleasant as hoped." Mia stopped dishing out breakfast to the others briefly.

"What do you mean by that? Did something happen?"

"… I'm not quite sure, but… something in my gut is telling me that," he replied softly. He quickly masked his concern with a smile when he saw Yuli and Mia's faces. "I'm sure they're all right."

"How is Anubis doing?" Kayura asked.

"I should hope that he is resting," Mia began with a slight frown. "He better not be trying to workout with that wound on his stomach." She began to prepare a plate of food for him. "Yuli? When you are finished, can you take this upstairs to him? Make sure he eats everything! I won't accept anything left on this!" Yuli placed his dishes into the sink and took it obediently.

"Sure, Mia."

"And make sure that Whiteblaze doesn't follow you!" she called after Yuli.

"Yes, ma'am!!"

"Sekhmet and Managi still sleeping?" Kayura asked. Mia blushed and swallowed hard.

"Well… I don't think that they have actually gotten to sleep until about an hour ago," she mumbled. Dais raised an eyebrow.

"… I think that it's safe to say that we can expect them to adapt the sleeping habits of Strata and Tenku," he chuckled. Mia blushed as he kissed her cheek. "Some sugar for your tea, my lady," he chuckled.

Cale growled low into his throat, mimicking the sound of an angry wolf. He banged hard onto the table and knocked away the chair as he stood. "Outside, Dais… NOW!!" he exploded. Kayura flinched at his outburst afraid for the worst. Dais slid himself away from Mia slowly, giving her a most knowing look before turning to Cale.

"All right, Cale… If this is how you want to do it-"

"Shut up!!!" he shouted, fading from sight. Dais' eye narrowed before he too vanished in a bright fuchsia light. Mia and Kayura hurried outside to the front yard.

Cale's eyes began to burn as he snarled at Dais. "… I _trusted_ you… How could you betray me like this… Bastard."

"Look, Cale… I didn't plan this… It just happened!"

"Liar!" he growled and swung at Dais hard, knocking the older man backwards. Dais wiped the blood from his lip and shook out the pain, straightening to defend himself. "Damn you! You knew how I felt… You know my past… and still--!" He hit Dais again, knocking him to the ground. He grabbed Dais' neck and started to squeeze. "I was so close! Then you turn her like all the others! I've hated you for so long!" he gritted out, trying to hold beck his tears of anger and loss.

"No… C-cale! Listen to me! It was…" Cale backhanded him and held onto his neck again.

"NO! I won't believe it! You tricked her! You'll hurt her like all the others!"

"CALE!! Stop!" Kayura exclaimed, rushing towards them. As soon as she came close, her cheek met with the back of Cale's hand, knocking her hard into the ground. "This is not your concern!" Cale snarled. Dais struggled in his grip and managed to kick Cale over him. Dais scrambled to all fours and coughed, clutching his neck. He felt a gentle hand at his shoulder and found Mia looking at him with fear in her eyes. Kayura sat up quickly. "Cale, have you gone mad?!" she exclaimed.

Cale unsheathed his no dachi and aimed it at Dais. "… Move," he demanded Mia, the tone of murder rolling off of his tongue. Mia swallowed hard and stood in between him and Dais.

"No."

"I said MOVE, damn you!" he snarled and brought his blade down hard, hoping she would move. He halted it swiftly, just barely grazing her neck. Mia's eyes burned with a sadness and resolve that he had never seen. "I won't move… I… I'm sorry about last night!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be straight with you! How could I? I didn't even realize my own feelings until after!!" Cale's arm began to shake. Tears leaked out his angry eyes. "Please… don't hurt him anymore. He didn't do anything wrong… _I_ was the one who hurt you, and I'm sorry!! Please, put it down! This is not the Cale that I've loved!"

"STOP! Just… don't! Don't make it worse!!" He tossed his sword away and moaned sadly. He swallowed. "For once… give me an honest answer. For once stop playing games!!!" he shouted. Mia flinched and nodded. "Do… do you love him?" he gritted out. Mia nodded slowly.

"Y-yes." She slowly and carefully stepped towards him as he sank to his knees. "I _do_ love him," she began softly and reached to touch his cheek, "but I love you too-"

"Don't touch me!!" he snapped angrily, slapping her hand away. "Don't… Don't you _dare_ presume to tell me you love me... You _don't_ love me!! You never have!" Mia clutched her hand.

"That's not true, Cale!!" she argued. "I _do_ care!"

"You could have just said that you didn't instead of toying with me!! Gods!! You are no different from any other whore!" he snapped. Mia gasped, shame rising to her cheeks.

"C-cale… I-" He stood slowly and banished his armor.

"I _trusted_ you… _Gave_ you something that…" He turned away from them. "… May you both burn for your treachery." He then vanished into the shadows of the trees.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry all you Cale-fans! Now review!! Please? ::puppy doggie eyes:: 


	36. Don't Drop the Soap, Boys!

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Thirty-Six: Don't Drop the Soap, Boys!

Sekhmet dabbed gently at the cut of Lady Kayura's lower lip. She winced and pulled away. "Ow, Sekhmet!"

"Hold still, my lady. You battled all nine of us once and laughed about it! Now you're quibbling like a little girl!" Kayura frowned.

"Hmph, I never "quibbled" because you _couldn't_ hit me! Ouch!"

"Any sign of Cale, Managi?" he asked as she returned from outside. He effectively dodged the arm that swung at his head. She sat and answered him with a silent shake of her head. Sekhmet sighed. "I knew he cared for her… but I never thought he would get this upset." Mia cleared her throat and carefully stitched Dais' brow. Dais touched her side.

"… He's never experienced heartache or real love for that matter. I think he knew deep down that perhaps it was the idea of her, rather than the love that he thought he felt. I do not mean to doubt Cale, that is the last thing I would do, but… if he truly cared for her, he would not have said such things about her," Dais said.

"Dais… he was angry. I don't think he really meant anything he said," Kayura reassured. Dais closed his eye and sighed.

"You do not know him like I do, my lady… He can be very vengeful and stubborn to a fault… This is going to take a very long time for him to begin to heal. For now we should all just stay out of his way and to pay no heed to his… outbursts."

A small patter of hurried footsteps drummed above them and down the stairs. Yuli skidded to a halt on the marble hall floor and caught himself on the side of the wall. "Th-they're… here!!" he exclaimed. "They're home!"

* * *

"Hey, hey!! Everybody's favorite person is back and ready for action!" Kento beamed, standing most triumphantly. 

"Yeah, me!" Rowen replied with a wry grin. Kayura and Mia rushed past them and nearly pounced on Ryo. Kento and Rowen glared at their leader.

"Hey!!!" Ryo smiled nervously.

"Heh, heh… Hi girls," Ryo greeted.

"I'm so glad you guys are back safe and sound!" Mia cried and embraced everyone. Kayura greeted Ryo shyly.

"Welcome back, Wildfire," she said softly. She squeaked when he practically yanked her into his arms and held her tightly. Hoots and hollers made both of their faces flush brightly. "Miss me?" he grinned. Kayura nodded quickly. "How is Whiteblaze? Is his sight any better?" Kayura lowered her eyes.

"Sadly no…" Ryo hung his head with a sigh. "I've tried everything I could think of…

"… S'okay. You'll figure something out… I believe it." Kayura blushed.

"I know this may be a stupid question, but did anything happen while we were away?" Rowen asked setting down his bags. Sekhmet scratched the back of his head and smiled warily.

"Weeell, yes… a few things."

"That was kinda a rhetorical question… sort of," Rowen said, not liking the answer. Sekhmet sighed heavily and turned back to the house.

"Come out, my lady…"

A collective gasp fell across the group.

* * *

"No more sit ups until tomorrow when I can have a look at you again. I mean it!" Sage warned before shutting the door to Anubis' room. "Hey, don't give me that look!" He rolled his eyes. He stopped when he saw Tori standing by the door, waiting for him to come out. Tori's cheeks heated when they're eyes met. "… He okay?" she asked. 

"He's fine. He's just a big baby. I'm sure you knew that though," he smirked. Tori made a small smile.

"I need to talk to him. Can I see him?" she asked, cheeks growing ever warmer. Sage smiled.

"He's still a little injured. I couldn't heal him to his full capacity. He took quite a beating from what Sekhmet said. No fighting, you hear me?" Tori rolled her eyes.

"Yes, mother. God, you're worse than Sai…"

* * *

Anubis placed his hands behind his head as soon as Sage shut the door. "… 'No more sit ups until tomorrow'," he mocked and started the daily exercise, making up for yesterday. He closed his eyes. _So, they're home now… Tori's home. "Sorry about the Zeal thing. It won't happen again."… No. "I was just kidding!" Peh, yeah right…_

"I thought Sage said not to do sit ups," Tori reminded as she leaned against the door. Anubis, startled, fell back and banged the back of his skull on the headboard. He groaned and clutched the back of his head. "Mn. Not here an hour and all ready I have a headache from you," he chuckled. His smile faded when she did not. The same look was still apparent in her eyes from three days prior. "…I-I forgive me…" Tori stepped towards his bedside and sat. She stared at her socks.

"… Sekkie told us what happened… what you did," she said softly. She glanced over at him, and noticed the newer scars from a whip, more than likely, creeping over his collarbone from his backside. There was a larger mark upon his shoulder still healing where Sage's had stopped. Anubis caught her examining him silently. He rubbed his shoulder. "It doesn't hurt. I'm all right thanks to Halo. Don't worry-" Tori turned her eyes away quickly.

"I _wasn't_," her voice snapped, defensively. It rendered Anubis to a shameful silence. She was still rather… _upset_ with him. He noticed a partially exposed scar on her shoulder that was not there before from under her tank top. He sat up slowly, without her taking notice. "How's--?" She blushed heavily when he took her shoulder and slid away the strap of her shirt and bra without a word.

"What happened?" he asked, tracing the fresh scar. Tori practically yanked herself away and returned her strap to her shoulder.

"Your _girlfriend_. She attacked Ryo and I. You should know, because you were there! I don't know how-"

"… Last night… I heard something call out to me." Anubis lifted his hand to her shoulder again. His virtue glowed a bright red upon his forehead as the golden light appeared on her arm. Tori gasped and Anubis held her still as she tried to pull away again. "… I had a feeling that something would happen. After that day in the woods when Fou-Lu tried to control us, I used my armor as a shield so he wouldn't try to do it to you too. I had never done it before and was worried that it wouldn't work at all… That's why I had Wildfire watch over you," he explained. He slid his hand from her arm and took hers in both of his. Tori remained silent. "… I… I am sorry," he finally whispered, meeting her eyes slowly. "… Zeal is… _not_ you nor was she ever anything that comes even close. I… realize the error and do not ask your forgiveness." Tori lowered her eyes; he lifted them with his other hand. "I do ask you to trust me when I say that… I have put that past behind me now. I was wrong to hope that I could… get her back… You were right." Tori swallowed hard and sniffled. She touched his face and blinked.

"Are you feeling well? Do you have a fever or something, 'cause you just admitted that you were wrong," she sniffled. Anubis blinked before starting to laugh. Tori started to giggle softly before an awkward silence filled the room.

"Erm… Besides my former trying to kill you, how was your 'vacation'?" Tori cleared her throat.

"Well, Domo's boyfriend was… killed," she began softly. Anubis' face fell.

"O-oh… She must be heart broken. What happened?"

"Um, Raiko killed him, then posed as him… Sage didn't tell me everything and… I don't think that she'd want me telling everyone."

"Raiko?! But didn't Sekhmet kill him?"

"… We thought so too. I guess when they fought, something happened and a building got destroyed. About a thousand people were caught in the collapse… Sage reduced him to a pile of ash."

"My gods…"

"Rowen got shot-"

"_Shot_?"

"Y-yeah… Nasake's landlord did it. I don't really know what all happened. I just know that he threatened her somehow. Ro' went over to scare him… something went wrong and… Rowen got shot and he killed him in order to protect himself. Tenku managed to help him after he lost so much blood…" Anubis stared at her wide-eyed. "… Th-that's it…" Anubis leaned back against the headboard.

"… Gods." Tori nodded slowly.

"Y-yeah…" Anubis saw her sudden uneasiness.

"… Something _else_ happened, didn't it?" Tori stood and nodded.

"Y-yeah, um…" She stopped, remembering what Zeal had told her. She felt Anubis take her hand and pull her back to sit. "… She'll be back. " She balled her fists in frustration. "I… was trying so hard to fight her and… I couldn't summon Rekka to help me! I can now, but then… I was so helpless! I was at her mercy." Anubis was silent, lowering his eyes.

"… Well, with a bit of training, perhaps-"

"I'm _afraid_ of her," she admitted, "and she knows it," she whispered. Anubis was silent again before placing a strong hand on her head and smiling.

"I… have something for you," he announced, hoping to take her mind off of it. "It's in the trunk at the foot of the bed." Tori blinked before moving to the trunk. She kneeled in front of it and opened the lid with great caution, half expecting something to pop out and scare the crap out of her.

"Just open it," he laughed. Tori opened the lid and gasped.

Inside, on top of everything he owned, was Kiku's stuffed wolf, completely repaired. Tori picked it up and stared at Anubis in stupor. She sat beside him, dumbfounded. She started to hold back hard laughter. "Y-you… sew?!" she giggled. Anubis pouted, not happy with her reaction.

"_Kayura_ helped," he said defensively. "My fingertips are sore from-" He was cut off by a very large hug from the younger woman.

"Th-thank you…" she whispered. Anubis was stunned briefly, before bringing his arms around her as tightly as he could manage.

"Rekka! Rekka!!" Sekhmet was calling for her down the hall. Tori pulled away slowly.

"Sekkie's probably going to ask me if Managi can use my clothes for a while. It's kinda weird that she's staying here now."

"Rekka!?" Tori and Anubis looked back at the door as it opened. "Oh, sorry… Rekka, may I speak with you?"

"Yeah, sure…" She looked back at Anubis. "Um… I'll let you sleep so Sage won't yell at you again. No sit-ups! You'll give yourself a hernia!" she warned.

"All right, my lady. You win," he laughed, and winced. He stiffened when she leaned over and kissed him shyly and quickly on the cheek. His cheeks heated as she looked back at him as she left the room. "G-good night, Anubis."

"R-right. 'N-night." Sekhmet watched Tori exit the room and turned back to Anubis. He raised his eyebrow with a smirk.

"Can I _help_ you?!" Anubis grumbled.

"Yeah, _bed_ her all ready for goodness sake!" Anubis flushed and hurled a pillow at the door just as it shut. He winced and held underneath his arm. "Ow… Damn him…"

He fell back against the pillows. His heart was still thudding inside his chest. He blinked several times and groaned. He covered his face. "… Ah, _dammit_..."

* * *

Megami tossed away her towel as she relaxed into the heated waters of the backyard spring. It was kind of odd that Mia's house had it's own hot spring. Well, they _did_ live near a volcano, so it wasn't that odd after all. She sighed happily. "Ahhh, this feels sooooo great you guys," she beamed. 

"Yeah, if the _boys_ can have their… he… uh, man… um woman haters… club," Nasake gruffed, fumbling over her words for a decent insult, "then we can too!!!" She kept her towel tightly hugged to her body as she waded over to Megami's side. She wasn't really used to being stark naked with a group of people. Mia sat on the edge and stuck her legs into the water. "Oh relax, Nasake. I've known them for a long time _and_ used to be the only female in the house!" Domo and Tori just stared blankly at Mia. "W-what?"

"Oh, nothing… We were just trying to figure out what you were complaining about," Domo smirked. Mia flushed.

"So Managi!" Megami exclaimed, jumping up and hugging her from behind. Apparently, Megami had been one of those children when she was younger that often found the need for clothing rather… constricting. "How do ya like it here?!" Sakura joined in with the start of the bombardment of questions. Yesterday evening, everyone had gone to bed early on account of the severe strain on everyone's stamina from the coming and going inside "the inter-dimensional time block".

Yuli and Rowen watched way too many episodes of Star Trek…

With everyone in bed until, questions had been postponed for the Kongo summoner's spaz reserves to become fully operational.

WAY too many episodes…

"Yes! Tell us! Tell us everything about you!" Sakura added.

"E-everything?" she blinked.

"Yep!!" Megami beamed. Managi lowered her eyes.

"I wish I could, but… I can't remember very much… only what I learned from Talpa. I am sorry." Sakura and Megami sighed, before Megami became her bright and "energetic" self again.

"Well, we can help you answer then! Okay: Pandas or spiders?!"

"Uh… Pandas?" Managi answered unsurely, having no clue to what it was.

"Girls! Leave her alone! It's bad enough that Kento and Rowen are teaching her how to burp!" Mia scolded.

"So, Rekka?" Kayura began coolly and came up behind Tori. "Did you miss Anubis?" Tori glared at her and smirked knowing exactly what buttons to push.

"No, not really. I was having too much fun with 'Yo," she replied. Kayura mouth dropped open, then glared.

"Oooh, you'll pay for that, Rekka!"

"What? Me and Ryo just went on a couple of dates and stuff. It's not like we made out or anything. Besides you hang all over Anubis anyway."

"To get Wildfire's attention!" she snapped loudly.

"Shh! You want them to hear you?!" Nasake hissed. "It was bad enough that there had been holes in the wall! They're probably listening so be quiet!!"

"Speaking of quiet, I haven't seen Cale since we got back. Where is he?" Domo asked. Mia flushed and swallowed.

"Uh, well… We went out on a date-"

"Ooh, really?!" Megami smiled.

"Shh!"

"Y-yes… well, everything was fine until um… we were… um…"

"Go on, say it. You guy were making out!" Tori grinned. Mia flushed.

"… Um, making out and… then I realized that I didn't feel the same way he did… at least not about him," she said softly.

"Who?!" Tori and Kayura exclaimed.

"… D-dais."

"WHAAAAAT?"

"Oh, you figured it out, huh?" Megami said, not at all surprised.

"Figured it out? You knew?!" Mia gasped. Megami stretched.

"Mmnn, yeah… well, it was really obvious to me anyway. It was always 'my lady this' and 'my lady' that."

"Meg," Tori began. "He says it to all of us."

"Oh." Mia clutched her cheeks in embarrassment.

"Um… well, anyway. Cale found out and went a little ballistic. He was so hurt… and angry."

"What did he do to Dais?" Nasake asked. Mia glanced at Managi.

"He… did nothing. He has been isolating himself from everyone," Managi replied for her. Domo frowned.

"I'm going to see how he's doing…" Domo stepped out of the spring without another word.

"Oh wow… So you and…" Mia nodded with an embarrassed blush. Tori pouted. "Well, damn!"

"You sound disappointed, Rekka."

"Hell, yes! I owe Kento a thousand yen!"

"Why do you owe him money?!" Sakura asked. Tori crossed her arms and frowned.

"Well, having the pink armor and being the best dressed… kinda blipped on the gaydar," she whispered.

"You thought he was gay?!" everyone exclaimed. Tori winced.

"Thought! THOUGHT! Past tense of THINK! Sheesh, so I was a little off!" Kayura looked thoughtful.

"Well, now wait a moment… there was this one time with he, myself and Sekhmet…" Her voice trailed off when she saw the look on Managi's face. "OH! But we were all drunk… Very, very, VERY… drunk. I don't think they really remember it."

"But _you_ do?" Sakura asked. Kayura winked.

"Get them drunk enough they'll do anything you ask. I had enough to be semi-coherent…" Managi's eyes were wide.

"… And I thought _I_ had done terrible things. Two men I-"

"Don't be so judgmental… It's a… thing we humans have," Megami explained as delicately as she put it. "Lots of people do it! Well, I don't… and I don't think Kento-kun's into that-"

"Uh, Meg?" Sakura began.

"Huh?"

"Maybe it's best for you to NOT overwhelm her too much. She could phase out or something."

"Yeah like Meg," Tori laughed.

"HAY!"

* * *

Rowen stretched delightedly as he leaned back against the heated rocks. Nasake had decided to form their _own_ girls only club after she and the others were a bit _miffed_ from the boys' own little 'Order of Manliness'. Rowen shook his head. 

Dais was cool and all with the eye-patch and silent personality… but…

_That name is so retarded!!_ he thought.

Poke.

"WAH!!!" Rowen squirmed and backed against the rocks when a small, yet sharp prod came to his chest. Sekhmet and Yuli stood in front of him just staring at his chest. "What the hell are you two doing?!" he demanded and turned away, covering himself.

He felt like a girl suddenly.

"Woaah! It went clean through his back too!!" Yuli awed.

Poke.

Stab. "OW!!! What-" He saw Sekhmet's sharp claw moving to poke him again, rather the bullet scar. Rowen squirmed away.

"Hm, interesting. So you are telling me, _boy_, that something the size of a 'push-pin' came out of a 'gun' and went right through him!?" he exclaimed, completely ignoring Rowen's protests and threats as he continued to poke and prod the poor Ronin.

"Yeah!"

"Will you two stop?!" Sekhmet ignored Rowen and frowned down at Yuli.

"Boy, you'd better not be lying to me…"

"With hands like those? N-no way!!" Sekhmet grabbed Rowen by the arm, despite his protesting and overlooking the fact that they were all naked.

"How many times did you say you were shot, Strata?" Sekhmet asked, feeling up the side of his rib cage and chest as if he were looking for something. Rowen's face turned bright red. "S-stop it!!!"

"Hey, Rowen? Could you stop moving? It's too hard to count if you're moving around…" Yuli attempted to count once more.

"I dare ya," Kento began. Sai frowned.

"I said no!"

"Chicken!"

"I am not!" Sai defended. "I don't want to!"

"You're afraid of boobies, aren't you?!" Sai became suddenly flustered.

"Listen, halfwit! I was the one who taught you how to "properly" cop a feel!" he snapped. Dais raised an eyebrow.

"There's a "proper" way?" Sage nudged Dais.

"The kind where you don't get hit," he answered with a grin.

"Oh." Kento rolled his eyes.

"So _what_?!"

"So _you_ look over! You're the one that opened his big mouth and got the hole patched up!" Sai pointed out. Kento frowned.

"Hey, where's Cale? I haven't seen him since we left," Ryo asked. Anubis eased his way into the spring. It still hurt to move around.

"Ow… He's in his room, I think…" Sai noticed Kento starting to climb the rocks. With the right angle and the light just right, he really did kind of resemble an ape.

"Poor guy must still be upset about what happened to Kiku. I don't blame him either," he said as he pulled off his own towel, twirled it tightly, and whipped it at Kento. The towel cracked loudly against Hardrock's tender backside. Kento fell back into the water with a yelp. He sputtered as he surfaced. Thoroughly pissed as laughter rang in his ears. He glared at Sai before launching himself at him and dunking his head under the water. Sekhmet rolled over onto his stomach in the sunlight. He opened one eye.

"Gods, knock it off you two…" Sai finally let Kento up for some air.

"Plagh!! Geez! I was just going to scare them a little bit!" Sage stretched out onto one of the flat rocks beside Sekhmet. "Sure you were Kento."

"I was!" Dais crossed his arms.

"Gods, I swear. I bet if any of you looked over that fence right now, you'd all wet yourselves at the sight!" Anubis scoffed,

"Oh, and like you wouldn't, Dais. You haven't been laid since Lady Kayura kneed you in the groin _before_ she took over as Talpa's second-in-command."

"Ooh! Charm not what it used to be, Dais?" he said coolly. Dais smirked.

"Hardly, rather I've gotten closer than you've ever been with her… Anyway, I can't look anymore," he said with a disappointed sigh.

"Why not?" Rowen said. "There's nothing wrong with lookin'," he grinned. Dais smiled coolly.

"Lady Mia wouldn't approve of me looking at anyone else besides _her_." Kento and Sai looked at each other warily. Ryo's eyes nearly bugged from his head.

"Holy crap! In three days you managed to score with Mia?! Dude!!" Dais shrugged.

"Well, I wouldn't put it quite like that, Wildfire. Nothing has happened as of yet… I'm doing this out of consideration for Cale."

"Cale?" Sage asked.

"He has… rather _had_ feelings for Lady Mia. He did not take it very well when he found out," Sekhmet replied. "That's why he's been avoiding everyone for a while…"

"Man, that sucks," Kento murmured.

"It's something about red heads that I guess get a person going," Dais said. "Well, for me anyway. Wouldn't you agree, Anubis?" he asked coolly. Anubis frowned.

"I haven't the slightest idea of what you mean, Dais," he glared. Rowen grinned.

"Oh, bullshit, Anubis… You're not fooling anyone!"

"Yeah, _Red_!" Ryo laughed.

"Don't call me that!" Anubis demanded.

"Why not? It's cute!" Sai grinned.

"No it's not! It's annoying!" Anubis protested. "I hate it when you all call me that and I hate it when she calls me that! So stop it!" he snapped.

"My, my! Getting a little flustered, are we?" Sekhmet smirked.

"So you really don't like her?" Ryo began.

"I didn't say that-"

"Oh, so you do like her?" Sage asked. Anubis growled.

"N-no! Stop turning my words around!" Ryo folded his arms.

"All right, _Red_. _I_ dare you to look over that wall and look at her and tell me she doesn't have any affect on you."

"Hm, that won't work, Ryo," Sai began. "He could lie and all…"

"Hey you're right, Sai. Okay, furthermore: no towel, no armor, just you and your naked self in the warm summer air!" Anubis growled.

"… Hn. Fine. You have to as well!" Ryo grinned and turned to climb the fence.

"Can't argue with that. I'll take a free show anytime!" Anubis met Ryo at the fence and yanked away Anubis' towel before they both started to climb. Sekhmet laughed as he saw Anubis.

"Well, well… You and Halo could be brothers!"

"Shut up, Sekhmet!" Sage and Anubis snapped. Anubis grimaced. This wasn't the wisest of ideas. He could barely climb the wall.

"On three okay? One, two," Ryo began.

A wolf-whistle rang out clearly and everyone's head shot up towards the top of the fence beside Anubis and Ryo. Five very satisfied females grinned down at them.

"Hello, hello!" Mia smiled.

"Is it hot enough for you guys?" Megami beamed.

"Too hot in fact! Hold this for me, Wildfire," Kayura asked and threw her towel in his face.

"My, my, my… Hey I need some extra help in my anatomy class, you guys," Tori began. "Think you could help out, Sage?" Sage quickly yanked a towel over his lap and flushed.

Someone neighed in the silence.

Sage glared. "God dammit, I'm not a horse!"

Sekhmet grinned and stretched sensually, not bothering to cover up from where he was laying as he basked in the sun. "Afternoon ladies…" he greeted with a dark smile. "Care to join us?"

"Sorry Sekkie… I don't think Managi'd like that," Megami said. "Would you?" Managi gave Sekhmet an icy glare. The man quickly slipped off the rock. Megami looked over the other side of the fence. "Whatcha doin' down there, Kento-kun? It's not like I haven't seen you naked before," she smiled. Kento sputtered.

"Wh-wh-whaaaat?"

"You boys aren't the only ones with spy holes," Kayura smirked. She looked over at Anubis. He appeared to be clinging desperately to the wall.

"Something wrong, Anubis? You look a little flushed."

"Well, of course I am, Kayura! I'm naked, hanging on a fence with a bunch of women staring! Gods!" he snapped. Kayura met him on her side of the wall.

"But wouldn't you want to show off?" she winked, and pounced on him, giving him a full-blown kiss.

"HEY!" Ryo snapped angrily. He went to clobber Anubis when the fence made a very loud creaking noise.

"Uh oh," Yuli mumbled just before the fence fell to pieces, sending everyone into the water.

"Look out!"

"Oh, shiit!"

"Anubis you said you fixed iiit!"

Kayura fell backward into her side of the baths, taking several pieces of wood with her. Tori plowed into Anubis after an attempt to hang onto something as everything was falling apart. Sekhmet had leapt forward and caught Managi just barely, sporting a blow to the back of the head as it hit the side of the rocks.

"Gods! Is everyone all right?!" Dais exclaimed as he waded over to where Mia had fallen. Mia's head bobbed up to the surface, laughing.

"Well, that was interesting!"

"Mia are you all right? You didn't break anything did you?" Dais asked softly as he pulled her to stand. Mia held her towel to her and nodded.

"I'm fine, Dais," she answered with a blush as he held her cheek gently.

"Looks like Dais is workin' on some ass!" Kento grinned. Mia shot him a glare.

"I'm going to be working _your_ ass when I'm kicking it, Kento!" He held up his hands defensively with a sigh.

"Okay, okay…" He smiled when she wrapped her arms around Dais' neck in a tight hug. Sai gave Kento a thumbs up knowing that things finally worked out for Mia.

Anubis clutched the back of his head after it had connected with a rock. He winced as his head and abdomen began to throb. His ribs were still very bruised. He felt a set of hands touch his face gently. His eyes snapped open. Tori yanked her hands away. "Sorry! You're… bleeding," she pointed out and took a corner of her towel and pressed it against his temple. He held it there. "Ow… thank you."

"You shouldn't be climbing walls to look at young girls," she frowned.

"I _wasn't_!" he lied.

"You liar. We all heard you and Ryo's little argument, _Red_," she retorted. Anubis rolled his eyes.

"Why on earth would I want to look over the fence if _you_ were on the other side?" he asked coolly. Tori punched him in the arm. "Ow!"

"The next one will really hurt!" She stopped and turned upon hearing muffled laughter behind them. Rowen managed to choke out.

"D-do you two need some… 'alone time'?" Tori snarled and whipped around forgetting that Anubis was holding the other of her towel to his head. The next thing she knew, she felt her bare body against his naked abdomen and his hands clamped down on her chest to keep the towel from slipping off any further.

Kento covered Sai's eyes. "Hey!!" Mia covered Yuli's.

"Ow, hey! Mia!! What are ya doing?!" he squirmed.

"Come along, Yuli. Time to do homework!"

"HOMEWORK?! I don't even GO to school now!!" Sekhmet, Rowen, and Dais finally were unable to hold in their laughter.

"Maybe you two DO need some time alone!" Dais laughed.

"Seems like she's quite the 'handful'!" Sekhmet added. Rowen was just leaning on Sekhmet trying to keep from falling over with laughter. Tori closed her eyes and grit her teeth before delivering a very hard slap across Anubis' cheek. She tied her towel back quickly and waded her way out of the water and into the house. In the instant that she hit him, everyone fell silent. Anubis just stayed where he had landed, stunned, silent, and trying to ignore his stinging cheek.

* * *

Managi held the pajamas against her body. She eyed the garments carefully. "R-rekka?" she called. Tori poked her head out of her bathroom. 

"Hmn?" Managi jumped upon seeing her foaming at the mouth. "Whaft?"

"Y-your… your…" She indicated to her mouth. Tori pulled out the toothbrush.

"O-oh…" She ducked back and emerged again wiping off her mouth. "I was brushing my teeth."

"P-pardon?"

"Oh… Sekkie didn't teach you that, huh? Well, I'll show you that later. Is there something wrong with your pajamas?" Managi held it out at arms length.

"Where is the rest of it?" Tori laughed.

"That's all there is! I can get you something that covers more, but… I had to think about Sekhmet too," he grinned. Managi blinked.

"Why?" Tori dropped her jaw.

"Attraction! What else!?" Managi blushed.

"Oh…"

"Go put it on! He'll be here any second!" She pushed her into the bathroom gently and shut the door.

"Rekka?"

"Yes?" There was a pause.

"… I am confused."

"About what? The clothes? Just pull them over your head."

"No… About you and Loyalty." Tori stiffened.

"Uh… w-what about it?" Managi emerged.

"I am… a little puzzled by your behavior. You _are_ lovers, yes?" Tori backed away.

"WHAAAAAAAT?!?!" She shook her head quickly, flushing heavily. "N-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-nooooooo way!!!!" Managi sat on Tori's bed.

"Oh."

"Why do you ask? I thought I clearly made _that_ evident after hitting him today. My hand is all red too…"

"Well… He and the others told me about all of you. He was the most verbal on your part… The way he spoke of you, well… maybe it was because Naotoki and I are together again. Perhaps I jumped to conclusions… Forgive me."

"He… What did he say about me?" she asked softly.

"Well… He says that despite your aggressive predisposition, you are very kind and spirited. Out of all the students he's ever taught or trained, you are his most challenging and favorite…" Tori flushed.

"… Oh… He didn't say anything along the lines about Zeal or anything like that?" Managi paused.

"He did mention that he mad you very angry before you and the others traversed to the city. The last time he and I spoke, he was worried that you would never speak to him again… I don't blame him, Rekka… because you _do_ resemble her… before she became jealous of other women that Loyalty courted. What happened to her after that was Talpa's doing, not her own."

"Managi… Did you ever loose someone close to you? I mean, besides Sekhmet? Like a sister?"

"… My baby," she replied softly.

"I did. Her name was Kiku. She was only about four when she died last week… Zeal deliberately slaughtered her pointlessly. Instead of just a quick death, she suffered through torture… and Zeal painted the walls with her blood… She did it because of me. I… can never forgive her. I know Sekhmet and Anubis and the other guys had done bad things, but that was war… This was a vendetta for amusement. She may have been born human, but Zeal is a demon!! No one human would be so cruel! And to be compared to something like that… it's… it _hurts_!" she sniffled. "It makes me _sick_ that Anubis was in love with someone like that! It sickens me how someone as… sensible and… kindhearted as Anubis could actually… _love_ her…" Tori sat beside her and dried her eyes. "I just can't believe he would make that mistake… It's as if _I_ killed Kiku…" Managi touched Tori's hair gently and smiled softly.

"… Maybe you can help him see how different you both are. Let him see the better part of you." Tori blushed and remained silent. Managi dried her eyes.

"Th-thanks… You know I never thought that I would ever have this conversation with you."

"Neither I have I," Managi smiled.

"Hey, have you seen Ryo?"

"The last I saw, he was out on the porch with Whiteblaze." Tori stood.

"Thanks…" There was a knock at the door. Tori opened it and grinned when it was Sekhmet on the other side. "Hiiiii Sekkie," she sang. "Looking for someone?"

"Stop playing games. You told me to come up here remember?" he grumbled.

"Boo. What's got _your_ panties in a wad?"

"I have a headache…" Tori sighed and opened the door letting him inside. He stopped dead upon seeing Managi in a deep green colored lingerie.

"Maybe Managi can help you with that," Tori smiled. "Oh and guys? Do it in your room, please."

"REKKA!!" they exclaimed. Tori had bolted.

Managi approached Sekhmet slowly with a satisfied smile. _Such a clever human invention_. "Does something bother you my lord?" she asked in a silken tone.

"Not. At. All." He grinned darkly.

* * *

Cale lay on his bed, half dressed for bed. He held his yoroi crystal in his hand and stared at the rays of light running through the citrine orb. "Cale… you fool…" 

There was a soft knock at his door.

"… Beat it," he snapped.

The knock came again. Cale growled getting up from his bed. He ripped open the door. "I said… K-korin?" he breathed, face softening. Domo gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Miss me?"

* * *

**A/N:** Question: Is it just me, or are Ryo and Kento kinda pervy? 


	37. Hate Me, Shake Me, Break Me, LOVE Me

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Thirty-Seven: Hate Me, Shake Me, Break Me, _Love_ Me…

::Warning: Strong Sexual Situations. Not for kids! Really. I mean it. NO KIDS!::

Dais leaned against Mia's bedroom door as he found her sitting on the window seat at the far end of the room. She leaned on her elbows and just stared out into the ominous, yet beautiful display of colors upon the northern horizon. He saw her sigh heavily, before she stood. She screamed when his presence surprised her. She held her hand over her heart, gasping.

"GOD, Dais! Make some damn noise next time!" He looked guilty and held up his hands defensively.

"Sorry?" he asked. Mia sat at the foot of her bed and held her face in her hands with a groan. "My lady?"

"Hm?" Dais sat beside her.

"What is troubling you?"

"… Take your pick." Dais just remained silent. Mia lowered her eyes. "... Cale," she confessed. "I… I let him down. I knew that I didn't love him like that… and I couldn't tell him. This is all my fault."

"I don't think so, my lady," Dais spoke up. "You didn't want to have to say the words 'I don't love you'. You didn't hurt him intentionally like he believes." Mia went to her dresser and picked up her hairbrush.

"Easy for you to say," she began and started to brush, "You aren't the one with the broken heart… I just wish… I wish I could make him happy." Dais looked at the floor.

"... So, you don't want anything to do with me with the purpose to make _him_ feel better?" he suggested. Mia whipped around quickly.

"No! What are you _talking_ about? I wasn't trying to get out of a jam when I said I loved you, Dais. I _meant_ it!" she stated, a little bit hurt by his comment. He remained silent. She kneeled in front of him and leaned on his lap. "… I was trying to say that it's upsetting me that I can't make everyone happy. I know that seems impractical, but in a time and place like this it really didn't seem to matter anymore what was impractical or not. I'm lucky if everyone is smiling at dinner now. Everything is so hard with all the fighting. Maybe I thought that if I did what everyone wanted, they'd feel... just a bit better," she explained softly. She leaned her head on his jeans and stared out the window. "I feel so foolish…"

"My lady… what happened was not your fault. Nothing that you could have done would have pleased everyone. Cale has been bottling up emotion after emotion… He was bound to hit rock bottom. Now that he has… he can begin to heal. He has been a troubled soul for many years…" Dais lifted her up to sit beside him. "Don't you think on what he said for a minute…"

"I can't help it. Sometimes I can't help but think that he's partially right. I _wasn't_ honest from the beginning-"

"Mia, you have been through such a trauma. You didn't know what you wanted." Dais held her hands gently. She lowered her eyes.

"I'd just wish he could understand how I feel."

"… He will. Once he realizes what he wants and what is most important, he will." Mia looked up at him shyly.

"R-really?"

"Well, I hope so!" he smiled nervously.

"You 'hope so'?! What the _hell_ kind of an answer is that?!" she laughed. Dais pulled her close against his chest, resting his face in the back of her neck.

"The kind that gets you to smile at me again…"

* * *

Cale simply stared at Domo. She waved a hand in front of his face. "Hellooo, Cale! You there?!" she laughed. He blushed when she started laughing softly. 

"O-oh, sorry…" He stepped aside. "Please, come in." She entered and placed a bag on the desk.

"It's so dark in here… Oh, right… 'Warlord of Darkness'… Got it…" She watched Cale lock and secure his door tightly. "… I heard about what happened with you and Mia," she announced softly. Cale sighed and turned.

"Not beating around the bush, are you? If she sent you in here, then get out. I have nothing to say to her, nor do I want to hear more of her excuses and lies," he snapped. Domo plopped onto his bed.

"Oh, relax. I just thought you might want someone to talk to. I figured you couldn't talk to the guys after what you said to Mia. They'd take her side easily, and the girls are so into the new couple around here." Cale frowned.

"So how come you aren't?" Domo didn't answer right away and walked over to the large window. She stared out at the ominous horizon.

"… Because I… just don't care about that kind of thing anymore," she said softly. Cale's face softened as he saw sadness in her dark green eyes. She didn't care? Well, that was just a flat out lie... He could tell by the expression she gave him, but as soon as it appeared, it vanished, and she smiled again. "What does it matter anyway?" she asked and opened the bag that was on the table. She pulled out a large, expensive looking bottle. "Morphine, for the pain," she smirked, tossing him a shot glass. Cale nearly dropped it. He stared down at the glass with a little bunny smiling up at him. He raised an eyebrow.

"… Didn't picture you as a drinker, Korin… or one to have little pink rabbits on her glassware," he chuckled. Domo lifted her chin, rather hurt by his comment.

"Hey! 'Ri-san gave me these for my birthday! These are good luck!" she said and tried to open the bottle. "Hn. This damn… _thing_!" Cale smirked and took the bottle from her hands.

"Good luck? How so?" he asked, opening the bottle with ease. Domo pouted slightly and took the bottle back.

"You know, the only reason that you could open it was 'cause I loosened it for you," she stated matter of factly. Cale rolled his eyes.

"Of _course_, my lady!" he smirked.

"Anyway, they're good luck because we were in a restaurant for my party and Japan's hottest pop-star came out and asked me for a pen to sign autographs. He said these were cute," she sighed happily. Cale made a face."Who?"

"… Gackt. Come on! Drink up and start talkin'…"

* * *

Tori skipped and hopped down the stairs. Swinging around the corner, she passed the laundry room, and a tight, green-toweled encased backside of Halo, digging in the dryer. Tori halted and stopped, admiring the view and debating whether or not to rip off the towel and call for Megami and Sakura. She smirked before tip-toeing behind him and, 

"BOO!!"

"WAAAAAAH!!" Sage bumped his head on the dryer and fell backward, boxers, socks, and some choice undergarments flying everywhere. Tori's face reddened before Sage yanked the towel back up over his waist. His cheeks colored. Tori kneeled beside him, still trying to fight off a fit of giggles. "S-sorry, Sage… but the way you were standing, I couldn't resist! Are you okay?" Sage rubbed the back of his head and shrugged before standing. Tori followed and looked at him in puzzlement. _He's not mad? _"Sage?"

"You mind? I'm standing here in a towel with my underwear strewn about for all of girlkind to see." Tori blushed and turned.

"Whoops…" Sage started to make himself at least halfway decent and hopped into a pair of blue jeans. He sighed heavily. "… Hey, Sage? Can I ask you something?" Sage buttoned his jeans and started to gather his clothing.

"What?"

"Nothing… you just seem upset about something. You wanna talk?" She stooped over to help him gather his things. Sage sighed and remained silent. "You know that you can't bottle up your feelings. You might explode like Cale-kun did… I don't want that to happen to you." Sage lowered his eyes.

"All right… Let's go up to my room. We can talk there…"

"How 'bout my room? Kayura isn't in there… She's… with Ryo-sama."

"'Ryo… s-sama'?" Sage repeated. Tori blushed. "Looks like _you're_ the one who needs a pep-talk," he smiled. She remained in a flushed silence with a slight nod, fiddling with an article of clothing that she now realized it had bore some resemblance to what someone whould where to a strip joint. She blinked at it, and then at Sage. 

"Sage?"

"What?"

"... Please tell me that you didn't... _dance_ your way through college." Sage snatched the undergarment with a heavy blush.

"Gimme that."

Tori followed Sage down the hall after depositing his clothing in the basket. "Think Cale-kun will ever get back to his old self?" she asked.

"… I hope so…" They passed by the kitchen door. It had been propped open by a chair. Kento, Sai, Megami, and Sakura looked to be playing some kind of drinking game:

* * *

Sai shuffled the deck of cards expertly as he and Kento explained a rather fun game that they overly played in college. "Okay, girls… The game is "Queens"," Kento began pulling out the stock of beer from the refrigerator. "It's really very simple." 

"Even Kento can do it!" Sai chirped.

"Hey!" Sai started laying the cards faced down all over the table.

"Doesn't matter who goes first. All you do is pick a card and go left. Kento, will you demonstrate?" Sai asked. Kento opened a can of beer and set it down.

"Of course, buddy!" Kento picked up a card and presented it to them. "This is a King. So as the rules go, everyone's gotta drink. The cards go as follows: Aces… you get to pick anyone else to drink."

"As we demonstrated, a King makes everyone drink," Sai added, handing out cans to everyone. "So does an eight."

"If it's a Queen, you girls both take a drink…"

"A Jack makes guys drink… Megami, love? Beer or malt liquor?" Sai asked.

"Ummm… I dunno. Just gimme one!"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Tens make the _second_ person on the right of the chooser drink. So if Kento is on my right and Sakura was also on _his_ right, Sakura, you would take a drink. The same is said of a nine, but that goes to the _left._" Sakura nodded.

"Sevens and sixes it's the immediate right or left. There's no skippin'," Kento explained.

"Fives will just change the direction of turns. So instead of left, you go right." Sai replaced the king Kento had to the field. "Do you understand?"

"I… I guess so. Wait! What about the rest of the numbers?" Megami asked.

"If you pick four through two, then you have to take that many drinks. So if Sai picked a four, he would have to take _four_ drinks. This game is a lot easier with shot glasses, but that's the good liquor and it's Mia's. So we'll just count a drink for one second. Four drinks would equal four seconds. It doesn't seem like much, but when you can barely read the number, it gets pretty interestin'!" Kento grinned. "Ready?"

Sakura and Megami gave each other a long look of worry. Neither of them wanted to be plastered again, but when you have Dynasty attacking and the end of the world drawing nigh… you tend to try and get your kicks where ever… even if it is spending the night next to the toilet or getting laid by your best friend's boyfriend. They hoped the latter wouldn't happen. Sakura held her can up to Megami's bottle. "Kanpai?"

"Kanpai!!!" she beamed. "I wanna go first!"

"Go for it!" Kento grinned. _This is gonna be easy!_ Megami picked up a Jack.

"Down the hatch boys!!"

Tori peered over Sage's shoulder into the kitchen. "What are they playing?" she asked softly.

"Looks like they're playing what we used to play in college… Hey! They're drinking _my_ stuff!" he growled. Tori held him back.

"I'll buy you some more, okay?" Sage pouted slightly.

"But, but… It's _imported_!" he protested. "Nooo…"

* * *

Sage deposited his laundry into his and Rowen's room. He opened the door quietly when he saw that the lights were off. It was only eight o'clock and Rowen was usually up until ten or eleven at the earliest. He stopped when he saw Nasake curled up next to Rowen, who had also fallen asleep reading. Sage set the basket down beside his bed and just stared at the pair. He tightened his fists in frustration. 

He couldn't seem to phase the ache in his heart whenever he saw Sai or Kento with the girls or Rowen with Nasake. He had remained quiet about his affections. He kept his actions in check and even daily meditation in order to stem unwanted emotions seemed as if it were an impossible task.

It was. He felt awful. He felt cheated.

He felt angry.

Rowen stirred softly and blinked. He saw Sage staring at him in the dark room. Rowen saw the confusion and frustration in Sage's lavender-blue eyes. Sage's eyes widened with a gasp and he looked away with a blush. He started to go. Rowen sat up.

"… Sage? What's wrong?" he asked in a whisper. Sage suddenly smiled softly.

"Nothing Rowen. Just go back to sleep. Don't wait up," he said and quickly exited, shutting the door behind him. Rowen stared at the closed door in silence. _Sage…_

"Mmn? Rowen? Whas… wrong?" she mumbled. Rowen sighed heavily knowing the look that Sage had given him. He leaned back and pulled himself close to her.

"Nothing, Nasake," he whispered. "Just go back to sleep."

* * *

Cale coughed a bit as he took a shot of the liquor Domo had poured. She swallowed it as if it were water. "You okay?" she smirked. 

"… Y-yes. Been awhile since I had something this strong." He picked up the bottle and nodded. "Fifty percent… That'll do it." He poured them another glassful before leaning back against his headboard. "So… What did they all exactly tell you?" he asked and knocked another one back. So what if he got piss drunk? The current situation wouldn't seem as bad, _and_ he wouldn't remember this twenty years down the road! Domo swallowed the gold fluid and shuddered. "Woah, that one had more in it…" Cale held up the bottle.

"More?"

"Always," she smirked. "… All I heard from Kayura and Sekhmet was that you flew off the handle when you found out that Mia was jerkin' your chain. Kayura said that it wasn't intentional and that Mia is _new_ at the emotion… Anyway, some choice words were said, but they think that you were just blowing off steam from everything that's happened. They warned me not to come up here too." Cale swallowed hard. Domo followed.

"Why did you?"

"'Cause I felt like it," she said flatly. "That and to beat some sense into you if you mouthed off to me." Cale raised an eyebrow and took another drink.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, _really_. So be nice and start venting. This bottle wasn't cheap," Domo ordered and poured him some more. "How many have you had anyway?"

"Um… Four or five."

"Good."

"This isn't healthy, you know?" Domo hugged his arm.

"Neither is alienating yourself from your friends, Cale," she said softly, her attitude changing from her norm to something much more sad… something darker. Cale lifted his arm and pulled it around her. He drank more slowly with the next one.

"Something tells me that you didn't come to visit just to say hello… The pack leave you behind to lick your wounds?" he asked. Domo swallowed another sip and started to feel the heat of drunkenness on her cheeks. Or maybe it was the heated skin of his chest that was making her feel like that.

"… Not exactly, Cale," she whispered.

"What happened in the city?" he asked. Domo sat up and stared into her glass.

"I don't wanna talk about it…" Cale moved closer and placed a strong hand on her head.

"Come on…" he coaxed, refilling her glass. "If I have to tell all, so do you…" Domo sighed heavily.

"… When we got back in town, I found out Ryu had been screwing someone else behind my back."

"Now when you mean 'screwing someone else', do you mean that he had been previously with you _just_ for that purpose?" he asked. "I would think that you were smart enough to recognize that." Domo drank quickly and frowned.

"Trust me; it didn't start out that way… Well, that was before a warlord so happily informed me of Ryu's after school activities and that everything I've ever felt for him was a lie… Whether it was on his part or mine… I don't really know the answer to that," she said softly.

"Wait. Stop. _WARLORD?"_ Cale inquired.

"Raiko. Yeah, he's got fuckin' nine lives…"

"Just _how,_ pray tell, he happen to tell you this?"

"… Ryu and I were making like rabbits-"

"You don't sugar-coat things do you?"

"_What?_ I hadn't done it in _months!_ _You_ go a year without your lover and tell me you don't get a little… animalistic. _Any_way… There we were… and things got a little too rough…" Domo pulled down the edge of her jeans, exposing large fang and claw marks. Cale gasped silently and set his glass aside, pulling back the fabric further to examine the marks. "I'll let you fill in the rest," she said softly.

"What happened to Ryu?" he asked after a pause.

"Raiko so _kindly_ led me to the bathroom… Whatever had been going on, Raiko had ambushed the two-"

"'Two'? Oh…"

"It was a blood bath…" she finished the rest of her drink and let a shuddering sigh rush through her teeth. "I sort of zoned out after that. Raiko had his fill of consensual sex, now he got to rape a rag doll… I didn't scream… or cry… I just remember the way the bed creaked… and the rain storm," she said softly. She felt Cale's hand through her hair as he rubbed her back comfortingly. Frankly, he was down right worried. He knew that it wasn't easy to talk about being raped. Mia had been the textbook example of that. Yet Korin showed no signs of distress. Her voice had been empty and monotonic, something that caused a feeling of dread to rise.

"How did you escape?" He saw a small smile rise to her lips.

"… By the wonderful warrior of light," she replied, half sardonically and half of some other unknown emotion. "… I remember darkness, and then suddenly I felt so hot. You know the feeling you get right before you have an orgasm?" Cale cleared his throat and eyed his empty glass.

"Can't say that I quite remember that feeling…"

"… I don't remember everything clearly. It was all very dreamlike. All I remember is Sage… touching, feeling… tasting. It felt like I was making love to… sunshine… Yeah, I know that it sounds corny, but… there's no other way to describe it. It felt wrong, but wonderful at the same time…" She paused. Cale stroked her hair.

"… You have feelings for Halo?"

"… I don't know… Everything has been a mess since Kento told me how he felt. Sage has been so patient, and supportive. I had no idea how he felt about Ryu and me… but when I woke up, I was alone in Ryu's apartment. The place was a wreck. I felt a breeze and I turned and saw Sage… all armored up, exhausted, and so _battered_… I felt that he had defeated Raiko… to save me. I felt so awful when he gathered me in his arms and took me home, knowing that he knew that I still loved Ryu even after everything he did." Domo paused. "…I don't deserve someone that selfless…" she whispered almost inaudibly. "I think he's mad at me anyway," she added.

"Why?"

"… Because I won't talk to him like this. We haven't spoken of it since that night in the apartment. I just… I can't!"

"Woah, hey. Take one step at a time. If you do everything at once, it makes things worse. Trust me," he sighed and put his arm around her again as he leaned back.

"So, what are you going to do now?" she asked.

"… I don't know. I just feel like an idiot. I saw the signs of those two, yet I still pursued. I think I might be loosing my touch with that dark charm you were talking about," he sighed. "I've been contemplating about poking out an eye to change her mind… Dais has one eye… Seems to be the fad now," he smirked.

"Eww. No. Don't do that." She leaned on his chest, well aware of his hand tangled in her hair. "You won't have any depth perception. Plus… it would clash with the scar. _I _think your better looking than Dais if it's any consolation to you," she confessed softly. Cale raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, _really_?" Domo nodded after a pause. She smiled.

"Yeah. You don't need Mia, Cale… You just need some time to think about what you want and enjoy times to get to now your friends." Cale flushed gently.

"Thank you, Korin."

"You know you have to stop calling me that…"

"Does it bother you?" Domo rested her head against his chest, feeling the effects of the alcohol.

"… It makes me feel… isolated. Korin is a like a god. She's worshipped, loved because of her wrath… No one loves her for her. They love her for her power to protect. I'm… nowhere near that. I'm _human_, not a religious icon."

Cale took the glass out of her hand and placed it next to his on the nightstand. He folded his arms around her. "Okay… Domo it is then."

* * *

Tori looked up to see Sage entering her room from the open doorway. She smiled softly. "Hey, didn't think that you were gonna show," she murmured. Sage sat beside her and shrugged. 

"… I figured that the only way to sort out my head about your friend is to talk to her best friend. It seemed logical at the time… Now it feels like I'm bordering on obsession."

"I don't think so. She _is_ cute and does have some kind of effect on the people that she gets to know. Tell me something… Why _do_ you care about her so much?"

"… I… feel like there's something buried underneath that front she puts on. Something that just _draws_ me to her. She once told me about her being raped… I just barely knew her at the time."

"What?! She didn't tell me about what happened until _years_ down the road!" Tori exclaimed.

"… Maybe it was then that I noticed something about her… It was in the back of my mind… almost as if it was calling out for help. I just wanted to know more about her… I just wish I knew why she confided in me at that time… She also hung around more after Kiku died. For a while she… opened up. I actually got her to laugh a few times."

"Well, Sage. There is something very calming about you. Maybe she sensed that… She _kissed_ you if I recall over at my place!!"

"She was drunk."

"Sagie-boy. I hate to break it to you, but six shots of tequila, two shots of that whiskey that Sai had brought and the orange soda she downed in a minute flat is just starter fluid if you know what I'm sayin'. It takes a lotta beer to get her to do something that she wouldn't normally do. The girls and I were gone after our third shot of tequila!" Sage's lavender-blue eyes widened.

"… GOD. Maybe it was because _I_ was a little tipsy…" He blushed heavily when Tori kissed his cheek.

"You do have the cutest rosy cheeks, Sage!" she grinned. His face flared.

"Th-thanks… I think… So what's up with you and our fearless leader? You two were inseparable the whole time we were in the city! You two even slept in the same bed…" he said in a softer tone. "You two didn't…?"

"Huh? WHAT?! _NO!!!_" Tori squealed, clutching her cheeks. Her face felt so hot! "Geez, _SAGE!"_

"Well, what were we supposed to think?! You had Kento listening at the door on some nights!" Tori frowned when Sage covered his mouth. "Uh, you weren't supposed to know that…"

"I can tell." Tori sighed. "NO. We didn't do ANYTHING. He was… keeping an eye on me for Anubis. Plus I was have mucho nightmares that I _really_ don't want to get into right now…"

"So…"

"So??"

"So do you love him or not?"

"Anubis?!" Tori squeaked.

"NO! Ryo…" Tori looked down at her lap and shrugged.

"… I… I think so… but I know that he and Kay are…" she didn't finish. "It's impractical to hope, but… I can't help it. I tried telling him once, but… got cold feet." She frowned. "I just don't understand why she's constantly hanging on Anubis though… It makes me so mad!" Sage raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure that you're not mad because you're _jealous_ of Kayura? Because you _do_ have feelings for Anubis?" Tori shrugged with a sniffle.

"I… I don't know!" she whimpered. Sage pulled his arm around her and she huddled against his shoulder with a sigh.

"Ever think about talking to Anubis?"

"Oh, yeah right!" she frowned. "His ego is all ready too big!" Sage chuckled.

"True… Well… Ask yourself this: what do I want?" Tori sighed.

"… I want my life back, Sage. I want the pain to stop… I don't want to feel lonely anymore," she whispered. "I know that it sounds like something out of a movie and that I'm over dramatizing everything…"

"You are an orphan, with no living relatives left, you are fighting on the edge of a cataclysmic war, with a crazy heffer of a warlord trying to kill you because of a mix up… I'd say that your _life_ is over dramatized, not your way of thinking…" He blinked when Tori started laughing. "Wow… I didn't expect you to bounce back like that!" he smiled.

"N-no, no! What you said about… Z-zeal!! HAHA!! Crazy heffer! That's a good one!!!" she cackled. "I gotta use that next time!" Sage stared at her before breaking down into soft laughter.

* * *

Domo stared at the wall while hanging her head upside down over Cale's bed. He lay right beside her doing the exact same thing. 

"All the blood s'going to my head," he mumbled.

"It's life in a different perspective, Cale… Plus, you're hanging over too far."

"Oh…" He shifted. Paused. "Nope, still going." He rolled over onto his stomach and leaned his chin on his folded arms. Domo followed.

"… What's wrong with us, Cale?" she sighed.

"We're _drunk_, my lady," he chuckled.

"No… Well, yeah… I meant… what was wrong with us as people? Did we do something wrong?" she mumbled.

"… I don't know. Seems that way… I think this is the part where I say that 'of course there's nothing wrong with us! We're unique. One of a kind! To each their own-'"

"Okay, you covered it…" Domo rolled over onto her back and stared up at the darkened ceiling. "… I just feel. Empty." Cale turned on his side and leaned on his elbow.

"'Empty'? Empty like hungry or empty-headed like Hardrock?"

"That isn't nice, Cale."

"What he's a phenomenon! So full of food, yet so empty-headed! It's maddening!" Domo just sighed.

"… I feel like everything has been sucked out of me… I don't feel wanted most of the time. I don't feel that someone needs me for me… not just for my body."

"What… about Halo?" he reminded. Domo closed her eyes.

"I don't doubt Sage… at all… I want to believe that his intentions are… true. I just can't… His eyes do convey love… but… all I see is… pity… and I _hate_ it when someone looks at me like that…"

"… Same here," he murmured. A pause. "… When little Kiku and I first met… I felt… human. Completely human. I smiled. I cried. I laughed. More importantly, I felt… love. Now that she's gone… I feel more lost than ever. Her spirit was so bright and pure. Something that I have not… touched in a long, long time… All that was trapped into one little body that needed everything I did… and I… couldn't protect it. I couldn't protect _her_." Domo turned her head to Cale and rolled on her side.

"It's not your fault. She's… safer now," Domo reassured.

"Aye… but for how long?"

"… Who knows?" she sighed and closed her eyes. "… I just… I wonder if I could ever feel something different. To feel… needed, wanted, befriended… happy… _loved_… instead of the mind-numbing sameness of pain… I want all of it. I want it like when two lovers just stare into each other and get lost… feeling, tasting, seeing, hearing… even the scent. It's been one hard screw after another… ever since my rape… The numbness never leaves you, Cale. You feel like you're incapable of anything but." She sniffled as she felt a warm, sword-calloused hand on her cheek.

"Hey, hey… Shh… don't talk like that. Things will change, Korin…"

"I was _fourteen_, Cale," she stabbed, angry eyes opening with fresh tears. "I still feel it!" she breathed sadly.

"I only meant…" Domo sniffled and pushed herself off of the bed, moving towards the door.

"I know what you meant, Cale," she whispered. "I… I need to go…" Unlocking it, she held the doorknob in one hand and heard Cale move up behind her. _Just open the door and go, Korin,_ she told herself. _Go before you do something you'll regret…_ She held the knob firmly, arm shaking slightly.

Out of the corner of her eye, a large forearm and strong hand leaned slowly against the wood frame of the door, keeping her from opening it. The other hand slid to the soft skin of her shoulder and pulled away the strands of sunshine to touch the nape of her neck. She could feel the presence of his body almost against her back… his breath in her ear…

"… Must you go?" he asked softly, stroking the soft hair that flowed beautifully down her back. Domo snapped her eyes shut, shrinking slightly in her stature and moving closer to the door. She answered with a slow nod. Cale followed and trapped her with both arms now on the door. Slowly an arm snaked around her waist and he pulled her snugly but gently against his frame. He nuzzled her ear. "… I don't want you to go," he whispered.

"C-cale… W-we can't…" she gasped, breathless.

"The numbness… fades, Korin. Light can return and melt the ice around the heart. For over four-hundred years… I've felt frozen. Locked away from the world… The ice is gone… Once again I'm… alive," he whispered into her ear, turning her around. He nudged her forehead with his own. "If I can feel again… you can too… You are beautiful, Domo… We all see it… we all see your light that we need. But you can't be strong all the time. The light does dim, but there is always something there for it to become bright again…" Domo whimpered helplessly and let out a small cry. "Shh… shh… Everything will be all right," he soothed. "Anger will melt… and fear… and shame… and sadness. Please…" he begged softly. "Don't leave now… Let… let me be a light for you in this dark time… Just… for now until you're ready for a Light of your own…"

"Ca-cale," she whispered, near a sob. "I… it hurts…" she sobbed softly, falling weak in her knees. Cale caught and lifted her in his arms, before placing her gently back on his bed.

As Cale leaned over her, he saw for the first time Domo. Not Domo as the bearer of Korin's light, but as Domo the _girl_, the young woman… the very same, beautiful person that Halo saw: untainted, uncovered, attached, young, innocent… pure. He knew better than this. For some reason it didn't feel as wrong as it looked. He felt something pulling at him, more specifically his heart, almost commanding him to give all he could to someone who needed it, even if it were never returned. He did love Domo… just like everyone else did. Halo, however, loved her more and she had failed to see it… The love Cale felt was the same as Torrent's, equal to Hardrock's and Strata's. It burned like Wildfire and Rekka's… Everyone. She needed to feel it. Experience it with her body, so the mind… the twisted, frightened, fragile mind could experience it… to know it, to want it enough to live with it instead of fear.

Fear. He sensed fear above all else. A fear that was strong and defiant in its resolve. If she could overcome it… perhaps her light would shine for all to see? He wanted just to give… not take as he had done so many times and so many years ago. He wanted to give her a chance… a change to become the innocent again. A chance for her and Halo…

He was puzzled as to why he was doing this. Perhaps he not only did it to save her… he did it to save himself, to save himself from letting go of the light completely, to make him see the hope of something good in this world… Maybe… even to feel again… too.

The tears just wouldn't stop flowing. Domo gazed up into the midnight eyes… soft and warm, knowing once they were hard, dark, and bleak. She felt a flutter from the stare he gave her. The stare conveyed strength and security, but at the same time… love… No… not quite the same look that Sage gave her… It was kind, friendly… calm… serene… _familiar_. Slowly, a soft smile fell over his lips as he leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead. "…'Bless this soul… with all your light'…" he prayed aloud.

"… H-huh?" she uttered. Cale traced her cheek with the back of his hand.

"… An old prayer from my people from ancient times… times when light was apart of me as the dark…" he whispered. "'May the grace of them… and Korin, be with you'," he breathed just as his mouth claimed hers in a gentle, but powerful kiss.

* * *

Sage tiptoed out of Tori's bedroom careful not to make her stir from sleep. He smiled softly to himself. He couldn't believe that he actually felt a little better now. Almost renewed. "… Wonder if Sai and the others are still at that game?" he asked aloud and descended the stairs, and into the kitchen.

* * *

"I bet… my sock!" Megami smiled and lifted a limber, rather bare leg high in the air and pulled off the yellow article. 

"Headband…" Kento added to the growing pile of clothing. It looked like a pair of jeans, a white skirt, a yellow tank top, a smaller blue girl's shirt, a dark purple shirt, a sock, a headband, and the household brand-named Milkball shirt. This left Kento in his boxers… Spiderman boxers more specifically… It left Megami without a shirt. The bright white against her dark skinned, rather fairly ample chest, was hard to miss. Sai had lost a shirt and Sakura appeared to be in nothing BUT her underwear…

Of course, everyone was a little too drunk to care.

"Your turn Sakura-sama," Sai reminded. She pouted.

"I fold…" She had lost something every round. Sai pulled off both of his socks and a watch. Kento sighed heavily.

"Me too…" Sai was way too good at this game.

"Looks like it's jus' you an' me, love!" Sai smiled. Megami glared over the rim of her cards.

_I'm sooo NOT gonna loose this round!_

"Are you going to bet?" Sai asked, very confident in his hand. Megami set her cards down slowly, making Sai grin form ear to ear, before starting to take back his watch. Megami put one hand down on the pile.

"Hold it, mister!" she snapped. " I can't undo this thing with one hand, y'know!" she frowned and reached behind her to unclasp her bra. Sai's eyes widened. Kento eyes couldn't get any larger. Sakura just giggled at them. Megami sighed contently and tossed the yellow C-cup lingerie into the pile before sitting back down and picking up her cards. "Okay. Now I'm ready!" she smiled. Sai flopped back in his chair and tossed his cards on the table.

"I fold."

"YES!" she grinned. "Man, Sai… You had a three of a kind!" she pointed out and presented only a pair of deuces. Kento had his eyes on… another pair, before bursting out into laughter. Sai just shook his head.

"Dude! You got _so_ played…" Kento grinned. He noticed Sage out of the corner of his eye. "S'up, Sagie-boy? We're playin' poker! Dude, s'up with your face?" he asked. Sage swallowed hard and backed out of the room slowly before about-facing in the direction of the backdoor from the study hallway. "… Why couldn't I have normal friends?" he sighed and exited out the back door and down to the lake to think.

He was surprised to find a familiar silhouette sitting on the dock and staring down and out at the water.

"Good evening, Anubis," he greeted. Anubis slowly turned his head to look then back out at the moonlit lake.

"… Halo," he greeted in return.

"Mind if I join you?" Sage asked.

"… I suppose. It's Lady Mia's dock. You'll have to ask her," he joked, but in a rather absent voice.

"… Something on your mind?" Sage asked after a long pause.

"… What made you think that?"

"Because you're more quiet than you usually are…"

"So, what is your point, Halo?" Anubis asked with an annoyed tone. Sage sighed, giving up on pursuing the matter any further.

"Fine, but it's not gonna go away…"

"I doubt that you could help me," Anubis replied softly.

"You might be surprised." Anubis lowered his eyes to the water.

"I don't suppose your powers have grown enough to ease a lonely heart as of late, have they?" he murmured in askance. Sage's eyes widened before his face softened.

"No… sorry. Maybe if you were a foot shorter and a girl… the powers of 'persuasion' can be a _helpful_ remedy," he smirked. Anubis looked up at the moon, ignoring Halo's attempt at humor.

"… I wish I had died instead of Kaos," he whispered hoarsely. Sage straightened.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What brought this on? You've all ready died ONCE!" Anubis lowered his eyes. They glimmered in the reflection of the moon's light on the watery surface.

"… It seems that I do more harm than good here."

"Like what?" Sage couldn't understand.

"I can't seem to do anything right… I couldn't protect Kaos… or little Kiku… Zeal is out of control because I've let her live this long… Gods… even Tori. I promised Kaos that I'd watch over her in his stead, and I can't even keep her safe or happy… As far as she's concerned I'm the worst of this ragtag time of rebels…" He turned to look at Sage waiting for some response. Instead he got a puzzled stare. "W-what?"

"… Don't say ragtag ever again," he chuckled. Anubis growled in annoyance.

"Just leave me alone if you're going to laugh! I don't need it from you either…" Sage with held his laughter.

"I'm sorry, Anubis…" A pause. "… Y'know, she doesn't think you're _that_ bad…" Anubis stiffened.

"What did she say?"

"… You're just a little… how do I put this nicely?"

"Oh, lovely," he groaned. "Nevermind… I don't want to know."

"'Misguided' was the word that she used… I think that she meant Zeal. I promised her I wouldn't say anything to you, but… She's hurt that won't see past the fact that she's nothing like Zeal, and that no matter what you may think… or even feel for Tori… it's always going to be influenced by Zeal and no something that she herself has made you think… Does that help?" Anubis didn't respond immediately.

"She's exactly right…" He laughed bitterly. "That's just makes me feel a lot worse now…" He sighed and stood. "… Guess I have a lot of thinking to do…"

"Anubis… She doesn't hate you… remember that," Sage reminded. Anubis faded into the shadows of the dark forest, leaving Halo alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Domo drew in a short gasp of air as sharp teeth nipped at the flesh against her neck before being lavished with a hot tongue. Strong, tight arms held her slender back against the heated, bare body of the former warlord of darkness. She opened her eyes, half-lidded with a new passion, and caught herself in the mirror across the room. The moonlight bounced off skin, covering it so that she could not tell where one body ended and another began. Cale slid his hands up over her chest and over the taught flesh of her breasts, drawing another soft gasp from her throat. Her hair spilled down over her and Cale's shoulders, tickling and teasing his skin as she moved with his touch. She whispered something his ears barely managed to pick up and he looked into the mirror at her. He felt her skin shiver as he caught her eyes. He stilled his hands; his eyes narrowed slyly as the burned something hot and carnal into hers. He suddenly smiled, with an indulgent expression in the midnight depths. Slowly he slid a hand down her stomach, feeling her writhe slightly at the contact with her over-sensitive nerve endings. She moaned softly at his hesitation, and was set free from his deep stare as his eyes closed and he buried his lips against her ear. "Shh… shh… don't rush it… Leave everything… to me," he said softly, breath hot and heavy in her ear. Domo curved her head back against his shoulder and bit her lip, reaching up to bury her hand in the soft down of his hair. Cale reached upward and caught her hand, bringing it back to her side and looping his fingers through hers. Domo turned her head to him in protest, but gasped in shock as his lips claimed hers confidently. 

He shifted slightly, holding her body across his lap and inside the crook of his arm. As her body relaxed once more, he smiled to himself as he felt her mouth respond in a surprisingly innocent way. Her hand slid to his hair again, touching the feather soft locks.

Cale tightened an arm around her body and lowered her back against the mattress. He murmured softly against her mouth as her body heated up his even more, and the more than needed dose of alcohol pumping through his body only multiplied the heat. Another bliss-filled moan came from him as both of her hands buried themselves into his hair, petting, gripping gently as if he were a cat. It was actually quite enjoyable, almost enough to make him purr.

His lips left hers slowly and he stared down at her. Domo stroked his hair as she stared up at him. Her dark green eyes expressed untold passion and a new glimmer that he had never quite seen before. Cale smiled fondly down at her. _There,_ he concluded. _There it is…_

"… C-cale-sama?" she whispered.

"… Mmn?"

"I… feel something… something good… What… what's happening to me?" she whispered, eyes misting. Cale leaned down and kissed her softly.

"Just… trust me," he breathed against her mouth. His lips left hers to trail kisses down her throat, then further to the skin between her breasts. Again he felt her hands in his hair. He turned his head and dragged his tongue across a nipple. She whimpered and bit down on her lip, feeling a normally gentle sensation, become intense. She opened her mouth to moan again as he gently suckled, but only a gasp of air greeted the otherwise silent bedchamber.

Something suddenly entered in the back of her mind. Darkened lavender-blue eyes greeted her and a smile calmed the overwhelming feelings she was having. _S-seiji-sama? But…_ A soft chuckle met her ears. Cale brought his head up to her ear and nibbled gently on the lobe.

"That's it… It's real… Don't try and think… just feel…" Cale instructed her. He let one hand explore her body freely, trailing it down her thigh and toward the inner tender flesh. She moaned softly as his hand sought lower places of her body and slipped into the apex of her thighs.

Halo's name met his ears as her body arched immediately into his touch. He smiled. "Yes…" he breathed in her ear. "It's all right…"

There was silence. She had only been whispering it into the darkness of the night. He wanted her to _say_ it, to say it like she meant it. He slid down the length of her body and ran his hands back up her long legs, lifting them onto his shoulders as he parted them. She whimpered as he started to kiss along the insides of her thighs.

Again came the name, just a little louder then before. Cale dipped his head down and ran his hot tongue over her center, making her moan in pleasure as her hips rose of the bed to meet his mouth. He looked up, still giving her a gentle, but torturously teasing tongue bath. She chewed on her lip and gripped the sheets.

Domo opened her eyelids, heavy with pleasure and the haze of the spell Cale was putting upon her. Instead of sapphire locks, she thought she saw ones of gold. Her heart leapt briefly. In the same instant, Cale inserted his tongue deep within her. "…S-seiji!" she moaned. She felt a sudden weight being lifted from her as Cale rose over her and took her into his arms. She looked at him with eyes of love and need, knowing that she saw what and whom she wanted to see. She needed to see the love that they all held. As an armor bearer, he could see into the hearts of his fellow soldiers. He knew the heart of Halo.

And now she did too.

"Seiji-sama…" she whispered, stroking his face gently. Her eyes misted. "Please… please…" she begged. Cale nodded, staying silent. He bent down and lapped up the tears with his tongue before kissing her tenderly.

There was a suddenly pang of loneliness in his heart and was reminded of Mia. He carefully lifted her hips and slid himself inside her. Domo's body curved and her head tossed as he slowly rocked his hips in a fluid like motion. He bent his head backwards. Warmth. Healing warmth fell in a rush over his body as he pushed and pulled inside of her. It felt so deliciously… bright. His eyes fluttered shut as pleasure coursed through his body. He quickly moved toward the edge of climax , hearing the soft moans of Halo's name intermingling with her voice and another's.

He opened his eyes and found auburn locks spilling out across the sheets and teal eyes staring into his full of desire and need… and perhaps there was a little bit of an apologetic gaze. It was as if his heart was beginning to mend and the bitterness he felt melt away.

He lifted her body into his lap, wrapping a strong arm around her shoulders and the other hand at her hips, pushing himself even farther into her body. Her eyes locked with his as she rocked her hips back and forth. "F-feels good... So... good!" she gasped. Eyes of lavender-blue loving hers and ones of teal healing his. She leaned forward and kissed him with a passion that he had never felt from her.

"… With me," she pleaded, moans escaping in hot gasps. She was so very close. "T-together…"

Something primitive awoke within him suddenly and light exploded around his eyes as he thrust sharply, moaning loudly. "Mia!" Domo cried out as she felt him expand and thrust inside her.

"Seiji!" Her body curved back, Cale's hands holding her as he convulsed through his orgasm. She collapsed back against the bed, Cale following, exhausted.

Moments passed by slowly and gasping breath became nothing more than slow and deep ones of wanted sleep. Cale finally opened his eyes. The auburn locks had vanished. Domo curled up against him, having fallen asleep almost moments after. Cale stared at her features:… relaxed… content… and no longer tormented. He leaned over and kissed her softly. "… Sleep sweet, my lady Korin…" _And thank you…_ He glanced at the door for some reason.

One lavender-blue eye pierced through the darkness at him. Cale felt a sudden stab of guilt. The eye closed and vanished. Cale reached over and grabbed the comforter on the ground. He pulled it up and over them. With a wave of his hand the door shut quietly and he slowly slipped into sleep.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay. There. It's done. Ping, ping, ping!! I'm all typed out now you pervy elf. This should tie you over for now. Anyway… how did you like it everyone? I tried to actually put a plot behind the reason. Did it come out okay? 

Yes, there IS such a thing as "Queens". It's a drinking game that can be found at . I do NOT, I repeat, do NOT encourage heavy drinking of any kind, especially if you are underage… Unless you are a RESPONSIBLE 21-year-old adult, don't engage in acts of random stupidity like drinking for fun. There isn't a rewind/erase button on life, kids. "Thank you. This has been a public service announcement."- Yuli.

::whaps boy upside head::

"OW!"

::Grins::


	38. A Bond By Any Other Name

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Thirty-Eight: A Bond By Any Other Name

Mia yawned daintily as she pushed open the kitchen door, fully prepared to make breakfast when she found Anubis just finishing up with the cleaning. "Anubis! It's six in the morning!" she hissed softly. Anubis dumped the hash browns into a bowl that had been lined with paper towels. He greeted her with a smile.

"Yes, isn't this when you start making breakfast?" he asked innocently. Mia nodded slowly in utter surprise that he had all ready made an enormous amount of food before seven. She didn't even know that he had a talent for cooking! "Here, have some juice and go ahead and start eating. Hardrock should be up in a few minutes so I can't guarantee that there will be enough once he gets his fill," he chuckled and poured her a glass. Mia took it before he shooed her into the dining room.

"Th-thank you!" she laughed softly and found a place at the table. She found Lady Kayura and Ryo all ready dining. "Why, good morning, you two! You're up early!"

"Actually, we haven't been to bed yet," Ryo confessed with a blushed.

"What? You'll mess up your sleep cycle, Ryo," Mia scolded.

"I-I know. Me and Kayura got wrapped up in talking out on the porch. When we finally got tired, Anubis all ready had food on the table!" Kayura blushed prettily and yawned sweetly.

"We thought it best to eat because: one, there would be nothing left once Hardrock gets up, and two, it's such a rare occasion that Anubis actually _makes_ a meal," she explained. "He's either on cloud nine or seriously depressed when something like this happens."

"And with Red you can never tell," Ryo smirked. "Want some more hash browns, Kay?"

"Yes, please."

"Anyway… It was probably kinda hard to sleep anyway," Ryo began, "y'know with all the moaning and groaning." Mia almost inhaled her juice.

"E-excuse me?"

"You didn't hear?" Kayura asked in bewilderment. "There were some _choice_ noises going on down at Cale and Sekhmet's end of the house… " Mia flushed with a frown.

"We have to put a stop to that."

"Oh, c'mon Mia. Give Sekh a break… He's been abstinent since Talpa's reign. It'll die down in a few nights. I mean… think about it: how would _you_ feel if you hadn't seen Dais in years?" Mia blushed at the thought. Her face reddened further as a set of lips kissed the side of her temple.

"Good morning, lady love," he greeted and sat beside her.

"… I suppose you have a point," Mia murmured, attempting to will the capillaries in her cheeks to close.

"Goodness, breakfast all ready! I guess that talk we had did a lot of good!" he smiled at Mia.

"Anubis made all this, not me!" she corrected, still amazed. She took a bite of a muffin and her eyes lit up. "They're still warm! Dais, eat this!"

"He's one of three things: guilty about something, VERY depressed, or in love," Dais murmured. "Hey, that _is_ good."

"Why not all three?" Ryo smirked as Anubis re-entered the dining room with yet another plate of food: pancakes. He felt eyes on him.

"What? Is there something wrong? The eggs aren't too done are they?"

"No, no… we're just trying to figure out what's come over you, Anubis," Kayura confessed. Anubis just smiled.

"Nothing! I was… a little stressed… so I thought I would do something different to make good use of the energy. Would you rather me mope and snap at everyone all day?" he asked. "Is everything all right?"

"Did you make enough for Whiteblaze?"

"You know I did and he just wouldn't eat… I don't know what could be wrong, except the fact that he cannot see…" There was a creak of the kitchen door and Yuli crawled into his chair beside Ryo, blinking sleepily.

"Hey, 'mornin', Yul'!" Ryo greeted. Yuli yawned largely and blinked again.

"Mmn." He squinted and looked around the table. "… W'time sit?"

"Six," Ryo answered. Yuli frowned.

"… Not even light out yet." Mia put a plate of food in front of him.

"Have some food, Yuli. Anubis made it today." The kid blinked up at him then blinked at his food.

"Too tired to… mmn…"

"What's up? Didn't ya sleep?" Ryo asked through a bite of food. Yuli shook his head.

"… Someone must've eaten somethin' of Rowen's cause all I heard was a lotta moaning and bumps… Did someone leave the t.v. on or somethin'?" Ryo cleared his throat and smiled nervously.

"P-probably. I'll make sure that they're off this time."

"Mmn." Yuli started to eat.

"Well!" Anubis began. "I'm going to go wake up Tori," he announced, getting up from the table after the timer went off in the kitchen.

"You think that's a wise idea? It's six and after yesterday's… handfulla fun… you're probably in very hot water," Dais smirked.

"… Think it is wise to neglect training when you have a raving hellcat trying to kill you all the time?"

"But aren't you going to eat?"

"All ready have!" he called from the kitchen.

* * *

Anubis climbed the stairs, humming softly to himself. He passed Halo in the hallway. He looked a little out of it. "Good morning, Halo." 

"Hm? Oh, yeah… Good morning."

"You look like hell," Anubis stated with a smirk. "Didn't you sleep?" Sage brushed past him and started down the stairs.

"Like the dead," he called behind him. Anubis couldn't help but notice the lingering sadness in his eyes. He returned to the matter at hand and that was to get Rekka out of bed.

Opening the door slowly and quietly he found her fast asleep and curled around the stuffed wolf that he had mended. He shut the door behind him and leaned against it with a silent sigh. _… Sleeping… The only place where I don't make you miserable…_ He slipped to the window and opened the curtains, letting in the first rays of sunlight. She stirred with a soft yawn and snuggled further into her pillows. He sat beside her and pulled the hair away from her eyes. "Tori. Come on now. It's time to get up…" he called softly. Tori's bronze eyes fluttered open, gleaming gold from her most recent dream. She yawned and stretched, giving him a soft smile. He colored.

"… Mmn. 'Yo-sama?" she called, still halfway into dreamland. Anubis stiffened a bit.

_'Yo-sama? Ohhh._ He suddenly grinned cunningly. This was going to be so much fun for him. "No, little one. It's Anubis." As soon as her nickname met her ears, she groaned and covered her head with her pillow.

"_Man_… There had better be a full-blown sun high in the sky for your sake, Red," she grumbled.

"No. It's about half past six in the morning. Come on now, if you stay in bed, you'll be an easy target for Zeal," he said in a tone that clearly stated that he was very serious. Tori became wide-awake and came out from underneath the pillow. She saw Anubis go to her dresser and pick up her hairbrush.

"Huh?" She sat up and yawned again. Anubis touched her hair and she felt him brush the tangles out of it. Tori just sat there as if it were an everyday thing.

"You want to be able to protect yourself, don't you? I know all her tricks and I'll teach you them so you can be ready for her." Tori turned around and faced him.

"I thought you didn't want me to fight her," she reminded.

"Right. I _don't_ want you to, but after what happened to you in the city, I realized that it couldn't be helped. Now get dressed. I made you breakfast so come and eat before Hardrock and Sekhmet eat it all." Tori climbed out of bed and stretched. She pulled on a pair of jeans from the floor and followed Anubis. "Mmn, hey 'Nubi?" she called inside a yawn as she followed him down the stairs. He flushed. She had never addressed him so affectionately before then. He stopped and waited for her.

"Yes?"

"… Thanks for keepin' the towel on me yesterday in the baths. I didn't mean to hit you. It was kinda a reaction I had. Kento grabbed my butt a few days before during Twister, so I was still on reflex-anti-pervert mode," she said softly and stared at her socks. Anubis scratched the back of his hair and flushed at the memory.

"S'okay. A reaction, I guess. It was either let everyone see… a whole _new_ side of you, or get the hell smacked out of my face."

"… You're not… mad?"

"No. Why would I be?" Tori fell silent and hopped down the rest of the stairs.

"'Nubi?" she called again before turning around. He blushed again.

"Hm?"

"… I'm sorry," she finished and entered the dining room.

"'Mornin', 'Ri-san!" Ryo greeted. "Red still alive?"

"Yeah. I didn't kill him. I'm not _that_ uncivil in the morning…"

Anubis just smiled to himself and entered the kitchen.

* * *

Tori sat beside Ryo and Sage. "Where's Kento-kun and Sai-kun?" she asked and started on a hash brown. Mia checked her watch and frowned. 

"Kento's not usually up before seven… however, Sai… This is out of the ordinary. He's usually the early riser!"

"Maybe he's not feeling good? Y'know like a cold or somethin'?" Ryo suggested.

"They spent the night getting drunk and playing strip poker in the kitchen," Sage spoke up and calmly drank his tea. He didn't grace anyone with a glance. "… And I don't blame them…" He just stared off into space. Mia frowned.

"Just HOW drunk were they?" she demanded.

"… Drunk enough for Megami to start betting on undergarments." Tori and Ryo nearly choked on their food. Dais simply sighed and shook his head.

"… Kids."

* * *

Sekhmet padded into the kitchen and froze at the sight of Anubis still cooking. "Woah. You are in either a good mood… or feel guilty as hell if _you're_ cooking," Sekhmet murmured and snagged a muffin. Anubis finished flipping the pancakes he was making for Hardrock and shrugged. 

"… I just… felt like it, I guess. I didn't poison the food, so relax," he finished with an annoyed frown when he caught Sekhmet examining the muffin out of the corner of his eye. "Speaking of poison, where is thine lady bane this morning?" he smirked. Sekhmet couldn't help but grin.

"Sleeping like an empress should…" Anubis raised an eyebrow.

"Tied to your bed post?" Sekhmet rolled his eyes and nudged him with his elbow.

"Not last night any way… You should try it some time. I drives them wild when they can't touch you!" he whispered with a sly grin. Anubis sighed.

"I take it we will be hearing about _more_ of these… 'nights' for a while, won't we?" Sekhmet shrugged with a wry grin as he ate. "You know, the others aren't too fond of hearing the sweet sounds of love early unto the morning hours." Sekhmet frowned.

"Huh? Managi and I were asleep by… hm… no later than one!" The kitchen door creaked open and Managi yawned sweetly, wrapped in a lush dark green kimono that belonged to Sekhmet.

"Mmn, good… morning," she yawned again. Sekhmet kissed her hair.

"My lady." Anubis went back to cooking.

"Highness."

"Darling, what time did we finally get to bed?"

"Mmn, a little past midnight, why?" Sekhmet nibbled on her neck.

"Mmn, because some of the others do not take to your lovely voice in the midst of passion," he chuckled. Managi's face flared. The dining room door opened and Yuli padded sleepily into the kitchen, nearly stumbling on his way to the sink.

"Good morning, young master," Managi greeted. Yuli blinked up at her.

A pause…

… then placed his dishes in the sink.

"M'goin' back ta bed," he mumbled and slunk out of the kitchen. Managi gave Anubis and Sekhmet a look of worry.

"Wonder what was wrong?" she murmured.

"Yuli couldn't sleep because of all the 'extra noise'," Anubis began. "He said he was up all night."

"All night? Then it couldn't have been us…" she murmured softly.

"Who else was up at that hour?" Sekhmet asked as Ryo entered the room.

"Whatcha guys talking about?"

"Wildfire do you know who was up all night?" Sekhmet asked.

"Y'mean besides me and Kayura? Huh, Sage said that Kento, Sai and Megami and Sakura were partying a little hard. They had gone to bed by the time he went to bed. That was at… three I think."

"And Halo is up at this hour?" Anubis inquired, shocked. It was always eight hours for Halo. _Something must have happened…_ A thought flashed through his mind.

Where was Korin?

Ryo shrugged.

"Yeah. Maybe he's doing some kinda will power training… You know him and his meditative… hobby." He washed off the plates and yawned. "Well, I'm gonna take a few hours to sleep myself… Hey, Red. You should cook more often. Those hash browns rock!" he grinned and left.

"What… is a _hash… brown?"_ Managi inquired as she eyed the pancakes with slight distain. Anubis led her to the dining room door.

"They are on the table next to Halo if you choose to try one, Highness," he smiled. Managi looked up at him with a curious look.

"Why do you address me so? I am not _your_ empress…" Anubis' smile didn't falter.

"My lady… you have earned it. Now sit and eat before Hardrock awakens."

"Why? What happens?" she asked. Tori was munching on her second hash brown.

"Kento-kun eats a lot," she replied.

"Oh…"

"I'll be in the kitchen if anyone needs me," Anubis said. Managi sat beside Tori where Wildfire had been previously. She stared at the things familiar to her… and gaped at the things so unfamiliar. She knew eggs… the juice… and the bacon looked promising. She jumped when the basket of hash browns was thrust into her face.

"Here! Try one!" Tori smiled. "Get them while they're still crispy!" Managi hesitantly took one. She dropped it onto her plate as it was still hot. Mia glanced at Dais with a small smile as they watched her. Dais just shook his head. Managi took a forkful and slowly tasted a small bite. Her eyes lit up. Tori grinned.

"Good huh?" Managi blushed when she noticed the eyes on her. She nodded with a gentle smile.

"Yes… Everything is… wonderful," she murmured as smiled greeted her from around the table. Even Halo, who had seemed quite preoccupied in thought, was giving her a look of approval. Friendship.

Mia's eyes widened when tears came to the deep golden eyes. "Managi? Are you all right? Did you burn yourself?" She shook her head with a smile.

"N-no, my lady… I am… I am all right…"

* * *

Sekhmet looked at Anubis as he re-entered the kitchen. "Well, if it wasn't us making the noise… Perhaps Torrent and Hardrock…?" He didn't finish his thought. Anubis shook his head. 

"Torrent wouldn't…" Anubis began, then stopped, second-guessing himself. Sekhmet raised an eyebrow.

"Well…"

* * *

Sai stretched sleepily and groaned at the little angry gnome inside his head pounding away at his skull with a giant hammer. Upon opening his eyes he found the familiar fish plushie on top of the shelves that created his headboard. The little marine creature had been a gift from Mia after the incident with Sekhmet and his fish. Sai glanced at his clock and groaned: nine forty-seven. _Great… I'm hungova… _He carefully rolled over and into a warm body. His entire spine went rigid. Very carefully he pulled back the bedspread and stared at the long dark hair spilling over lightly tanned skin. Sai bolted upright and covered his mouth, swallowing hard. His eyes trailed downward to the edge of the covers around his waist. PLEASE let there be boxers… PLEASE. Pink ones, plaid ones. Polka dotted ones with 'I brake for kitties' on 'em… ANYTHING. Just NOT skin! 

He paled when it was just him and the sheets. He covered his face and groaned. "Bullocks…"

"Mmn, Sai?" Kento mumbled and lifted his head from his bed on the other side of the room. "Wha's wrong?" Sai motioned for him to be quiet and pulled back more of the covers for him to see Sakura sleeping silently beside Torrent. Kento blinked for a few seconds and then tensed. He sat up slowly and found Megami asleep next to him… just as naked as he was. His face was as pale as Sai's. Sai ducked into the bathroom and Kento followed him quickly. They shut the door softly and… well basically freaked.

"Did… Did we…?" Kento began.

"Um… maybe?" Sai swallowed.

"Did they?" Sai raked his hands through his hair.

"Looks like it…"

"SHIT!" Kento hissed. He froze and ripped open the medicine cabinet. He fumbled for a familiar box, knocking over bottles of aspirin and cans of shaving gel. Sai hushed him to be silent. Kento looked inside the box. He tossed it to the ground with a sigh of relief. Last nights events came back to him slowly. He knew he wasn't that drunk last night. Just the initial shock had his head going at the speed of light.

"Phew!"

"What do you mean 'phew'!" Sai hissed. "Do you realized what just happened!"

"Yeah… a lotta nothin'…"

"How do you know! We don't even remember!" he hissed.

"You were piss drunk, man… Of _course_ you don't remember." Sai grabbed a pair of boxers from the hamper and chucked a pair at Kento.

"GOD! I can't believe this happened… Mia's going to bloody have a fit!" he hissed.

"Not if you keep yer trap shut!" Kento hissed and pulled on the boxers. He opened the door then shut it again.

"Now what?"

"… What do we tell them?" Kento asked.

"… The truth I guess…" Sai swallowed hard. Before it had been something mutual. Just a quick tuck and roll in the sack and you forgot about it the next day. This was different.

Both Ronins peeked out of the bathroom they shared as the girls started to wake up.

They actually _cared_ about these girls.

* * *

Sakura held the bed sheet to her body and held her forehead as she sat up. _… Not doing that again…_ She looked over at Megami. She just stared down underneath the covers in shock and bolted up in bed. She caught Sakura's eyes. Megami's suddenly watered. "S-sakura?" she whimpered. Suiko wrapped the sheet around her body and hurried over to Kongo's side. 

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

"… I think I did something really s-stupid!" she sobbed and buried her face into her best friend's shoulder. Sakura held the tanned body close and stroked the short ash colored locks. This wasn't unfamiliar territory for her. She had done it a few times with a boyfriend, but Megami was very adamant about her own, almost as passionate as Tori. Herself on the other hand, it wouldn't matter as much. Suiko had told her that as long she was her summoner, her body was protected from an assortment of things.

Getting pregnant or deathly ill being two of them.

"Shh. It's okay. You like Kento, don't you?" she asked softly.

"That's not the point!" Megami snapped in a sob. "It's… just that I… can't remember if I… liked it," she finished in a whisper. She lifted her head, her dark eyes still misting. "… They're not even here with us when we woke up," she added.

The bathroom door creaked open and they jerked. Megami quickly dried her eyes when she saw Kento looking at her with apologetic eyes. She turned away. He sat beside her silently. Sai and Sakura greeted each other with an understanding silence. She then stood slowly and grabbed Sai's hand pulling him to the bathroom again. "Let's wash off the hang over…" she murmured.

Kento waited until heard the shower going before he even tried to say something. "G-guess you an' me had a little too much to drink last night and… did some… stuff…" she mumbled. "Don't worry… Kongo-sempai said that I can't get pregnant or get a cold while he's around… So whatever happened, you're in the clear…" She rubbed her shoulders nervously. Kento grabbed his robe that hung on the back of his chair and draped it over her shoulders before holding her close from behind. Megami started to cry.

"Hey… sh, sh, sh, shh… S'okay. We… didn't do anything," he whispered. Megami stiffened and dried her eyes, turning to him.

"W-what?" she croaked still in the midst of tears. Kento dried her cheeks.

"You're still a virgin, hon…" Megami covered her face.

"But, but I'm… and you're…" she whimpered both happy and still confused and upset. "No more alcohol!" she managed to say. Kento chuckled softly.

"Okay." He lifted her face and gave her a warm kiss. Her eyes went wide. Until then, he had only kissed her once, that she could remember, and that was on a dare from one of the boys when they were in the city. Since then it had been so awkward between them. Accidental touches or remarks that left something more to be thought of were among the mixed signals that she had seen from Kento. Plus the fact that he never seemed to be serious about anything wasn't a comforting thought.

Megami felt her face get hot as she felt strong arms pull her closer. For a moment she was stunned. He felt her body relax and respond timidly. Much more different that last night's had been… This was a thousand times better and he preferred it that way. He smiled softly as he pulled back slightly. Her dark green eyes staring up at him under half lids. "… Wanna start over?" he suggested.

"… 'Kay," she smiled and practically pounced on him in a tight hug.

* * *

Sakura let the showerhead wash the soap off of her face and ease the slight headache she had. She felt Sai's eyes on her and turned to find him staring at her. Sea-blue eyes that used to sparkle were now dull with regret and guilt. "I… I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't want your first time… to be like this," he confessed softly, looking away. Sakura's eyes widened. 

He didn't know…

"… It was a stupid thing we did and I don't want you t'think that I purposely took advantage of an unstable situation just t'get you in th' sack… I… care about you lots, love," he added. "I know I can't undo what've done… I just want you t'know that… I… god…"

"Sai-sama?" she began. "… There's something you should know. I'm… not a virgin… I wasn't last night…" Sai felt the color drain from his face.

"… Y… you're not?" Sakura shook her head.

"… M'not… You never asked… and I never thought to tell you… I'm sorry…" Sai slumped against the shower wall and looked relieved.

"Don't be!" he smiled. He felt so MUCH better. Sakura gave him a slight smile and turned back to finish her shower when she felt his arms encircle her and his lips at her ear.

"… Still doesn't change how I feel about you, love…" Sakura turned in his arms and smiled softly.

"… That's good to hear."

* * *

Cale blinked sleepily in the bright sun lit room as he finally awoke. He stretched and remembered… 

Korin's summoner lay curled against him in a dream filled slumber without a trace of torment on her angelic face. He smiled to himself and gave her a kiss on her forehead to wake her. She stirred and stretched.

"Seiji-sama?" she murmured. After a few moments for her eyes to adjust, she was greeted with a smile from Cale. Her face colored as she recalled what happened.

"You look puzzled, my lady…" Domo nodded.

"… That… How… How did you… It was like you were him and…"

"Aye… How do you feel?" Domo sat up slowly.

"… Better," she admitted, though still quite shocked. Cale sat up beside her and stroked her hair. "… and different…"

"Good…" He was pleased to see the sunshine outside as well as in her eyes and expression. Domo held the sheets against her and looked thoughtful.

"Cale… What happened last night… those things I said…"

"Don't worry about it…" he smiled. "Think of it like this: a mutual event with mutual results." Domo raised an eyebrow.

"The same can be said about a prostitute and her client, Cale."

"Aye… that is true… but what is different is that I care about you… just as everyone else does. I wouldn't put a spell on a complete stranger… or even someone I knew. I just felt that there was a common connection with us… that I've felt with rarely any other." Domo's eyes widened.

"Are you saying you love me?" she gasped. Cale chuckled.

"Of course!" He touched her hair. "In so many words though… I love you just as Hardrock and Strata do and Torrent and Wildfire… Halo however… that is a feeling… that I have reserved for another…" he finished softly, lowering his eyes. Domo reached up and brushed the blue bangs away from his eyes.

"I thought you were still in love with her," she confirmed. "… I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to help you, Cale-kun." He just smiled at her.

"On the contrary… you've helped me realize something that I had forgotten…"

"What's that?"

"… Purpose."

* * *

Tori walked a step behind Anubis down the familiar path toward the small meadow near the south end of the valley. Talpa's castle could be seen at the far north end, lining the mountainside darkly despite the bright sunshine that early morning. Three paths emerged from Mia's house: one towards the lake behind the house, facing Talpa's castle, one leading east to the gravel road outside the valley, and the one they were taking toward the south that circled around the lake and lead to a meadow just past the lake's bank. It would have been easier to cut across the lake, but Anubis wanted to walk. 

He always wanted to "walk". They remained in silence as they had left the house. It had been a buzz trying to figure out what exactly happened that night. As far as anyone knew: Cale was still hiding in his room, Domo was still asleep in her room, and the drunkenness of Torrent and Hardrock lead everyone to assume the obvious. Everyone had automatically dismissed Rowen and Nasake of any… "foul play". Both usually slept past noon anyway. Rowen's low blood pressure and Nasake's insomnia saw to that.

Tori tried to ignore the silence between herself and Anubis by thinking about what had been going on since she and the others had been gone. Everything hadn't quite registered. The new addition to their rather large "family" was a definite change. She wasn't sure if it meant something good or if it was an omen for a more traumatic day. She knew Talpa and Sekhmet had fought and even Anubis was thrown in to the fray, but the fact remained that Talpa was still "alive" in some sense and that he would most definitely return to take revenge on Sekhmet, Anubis, and Managi.

The question was: when?

"Something troubling you, little one?" Anubis asked, finally breaking the silence. Tori snapped out of her thoughts and noticed him now walking beside her.

"… It's nothing. I was… just thinking about what Sekkie told me about his fight with Talpa. I… I'm worried that he'll comeback and do something horrible."

"He will. I wouldn't worry though." Tori's eyes bugged.

"… Are you sure that you're well now?" she mumbled with an annoyed frown. Sage said that he _did _have a rather large bump on his head. Tori wondered if his… odd and "happy" behavior was the result of that. Anubis, to her surprise, just laughed softly. _What? No witty comeback? What the crap happened!_

"I feel fine, little one," he mused. "You needn't worry about Talpa. True, he may have finally attained his former form, but if Sekhmet can handle him, then all of us shouldn't have much trouble." _It's Zeal that I am worried about…_ Tori frowned in confusion.

"Okay… We _were_ fighting against Talpa… but now you say that we've got nothing to worry about? He's the EMPEROR of the Dynasty! And he's freed Kurai, AND has got Raiko, AND you're nut-job of a girl friend-" Anubis gave her a sharp look.

"EX! **_EX_**-girlfriend!" she corrected with a nervous smile, though still doubtful of his feelings.

"… From what Managi has told us, Talpa no longer has any authority over anyone. Kurai I suppose sees him as no real threat to his plan, whatever those may be. The only reason he probably hasn't done away with him is because Talpa poses a nuisance to US. Talpa IS powerful, but we don't need any more distractions in addition to his. It's bad enough that Raiko and Zeal are running around free to terrorize. The reason why we are out here now is to strengthen our weaknesses to those distractions. YOU and I are targets for Zeal, just as Korin and Halo are for Raiko, and Sekhmet and Managi to Talpa… I am still very weary about your ability to defend yourself…" Tori nodded in understanding. She didn't try to argue. Anubis was right about her and her being such a trouble target. She had the scars and bruises to prove it. She sighed as she set aside the bag he instructed her to bring by a tree just as the meadow stretched out before them. She continued to follow Anubis.

"So why aren't Seiji-kun and Domo training then?" Anubis sighed and summoned his dark blue sub-armor.

"Because they have their own weaknesses to overcome first before they can fend off Raiko. I'm not even sure that they are aware of the danger surrounding them… Whatever happened in the city… Well, it's best not to pester to an all ready tense situation. Do you understand?"

"Is that supposed to mean you don't wanna talk anymore?" He smirked.

"Precisely." He waited for her to summon her battle armament. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"What are you waiting for? Put on your armor so we can start! Please don't tell me I am going to have to hold your hand throughout this whole thing!" he groaned. Tori blushed and frowned.

"I'm waiting for you to turn around, you dirty old man!" she snapped. Anubis stepped back in shock.

"'D-dirty old'… What the _hell_ are you talking about? Just do it!"

"Hey! There's a split second where there's nakedness involved! I'm a young, pretty, impressionable, _virginal_ girl and I'd like to _keep_ it that way from prying eyes!" Anubis turned with another annoyed groan.

"You won't have to worry about that," he muttered.

"I heard that!" she snapped.

"Are you decent yet!" There was a pause, a brief blast of gentle red light and heat, and then nothing.

"Okay! I'm ready!" she smiled. He turned and saw the jet-black armor matching his own. She was taking off the cloak that she wore and set it aside. "So… what exactly are you gonna teach me, Yoda?"

"WHO?" Anubis blinked.

"… Never mind. What's first on the agenda?" Anubis sat down in the grass and closed his eyes. He didn't say anything more. "… Anubis?" She waved her hands in front of his face. "Reeed?" she called and kneeled in front of him.

Nothing. Tori sighed heavily and poked him in the forehead sharply. "OW!"

"Geez, finally! I thought you went to sleep!"

"Will you just… SIT and concentrate!"

"ON WHAT, Yoda?"

"… Everything around you… and don't call me… Y-yoda."

"… You want me to meditate?"

"I thought that was quite obvious, little one."

"Just what's that gonna teach me?"

"How about patience?" he snapped, grabbing her hands and holding them firmly before shutting his eyes again. Tori frowned and sat on the ground in front of him, noticing that he wasn't going to let go of her hands.

"Are you gonna let go? I'm not going any where." Anubis' eyebrows rose slightly.

"I know that, but simple mediation isn't the purpose of this exercise… Just close your eyes and let your mind wander. I'll tell you what to do next all right?" Tori shut her eyes.

"Fine…" There was a long pause. "… Red?"

"Hnn, whaaat?" he groaned.

"… Thanks…" Anubis opened one eye and saw her cheeks heating.

"Save your thanks when we are finished…"

"… 'Kay."

* * *

Rowen yawned tiredly and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he entered the kitchen. "HUAAAAAAA!… 'Mornin'…" 

"It's _noon_, Strata," Sekhmet corrected. Rowen blinked at the clock. Whatever. It looked like morning time to him. "Late night?"

"… Nah… M'just so tired lately…" Mia placed a cup of coffee in front of him and touched his forehead.

"Are you taking your blood pressure medicine like you are supposed to?" Rowen drank generously and yawned again.

"Ran out… M'fine…"

_"When?"_

"Psh… A… while ago… I felt okay, but these last coupla days… HWA… I've been feelin' kinda weak…"

"Well, after that display of heroics Hardrock told me about in the city, I _bet_ you're exhausted. You're body lost quite a bit of blood according to Torrent," Sekhmet reminded. Rowen nodded sleepily.

"That'll do it… Mnn… Where's Sage?"

"Outside meditating again. He's been out there for most of the morning. Why don't you go get him? Lunch is about ready."

"M'surprised Kento's not in here houndin' ya," Rowen pointed out.

"Kento AND Sai are still in bed!" Mia snipped.

"Wha?"

"When everyone finally gets up I want to talk with all of you about something," she grumbled. Rowen yawned.

"Yes'm… Sekh?"

"Yes?"

"Could ya keep it down at night when you and Lady M. are getting down in dirty? 'Sake woke up three times last night…" Sekhmet frowned.

"Don't tell _me_. Tell Hardrock and Torrent… _They_ are you culprits." Rowen's sleepy eyes went wide.

"Hm… Wow. Didn't think they were like that…"

"Not together! With Kongo and Suiko… Honestly, Strata. You're supposed to be the 'bright' one." Rowen stretched and yawned.

"Oh… 'bout time… damn…"

"Rowen!" Mia snapped.

"Here's something for ya Sekh: The sum of the squares of the legs of the right triangle is equal ta the square of the hypotenuse…"

Sekhmet's jaw dropped. He then frowned.

"… You are NOT normal…" Rowen smirked.

"This coming from the man wearing purple eye shadow and has claws for hands…"

"It's… WAR PAINT," he snapped.

"Yeah, I bet."

Rowen slipped out the porch door and saw Whiteblaze sunbathing in a sunny corner of the veranda. His ears perked up and now ice colored eyes scanned, still unseeing. He growled. Rowen kneeled down and offered his hand to the dark nose before the giant cat became docile. Rowen scratched his chin. "Hey 'Blaze… Feeling any better?" A low whine met his ears. Rowen's face fell.

"Hang in there… We'll think of somethin'… Did Sage go by here?" Whiteblaze lifted himself up and padded his way to the screen door leading to the garden gate. Rowen was so surprised that he knew his way around so quickly. He rubbed the side of his back when he spotted the rays of sunlight catching on Halo's hair. "Thanks, boy. 'Sake said she had something for you. Think you can make it up to my room?" he asked as he kneeled down. Whiteblaze licked his cheek and padded back down the long stretch of porch.

Rowen opened the screen door and met Sage as he sat in front of the small patch of wildflowers that he and the other boys helped him plant a few summers ago. He smiled. It was good to see some semblance of normality in these dark times. His smile faded upon seeing the troubled expression on his best friend's brow. He was frowning, which was something very rare… unless there was something really bothering him. Rowen hesitated briefly. He wouldn't get anywhere if Sage knew that he felt something was wrong. It was hard enough to get Ryo to open up sometimes. _Better play it cool…_ "… 'Mornin', Sage…" Rowen greeted cheerfully and plopped down on the grass next to him.

"No. Nothing is bothering me. I don't want to talk about it," Sage murmured flatly. Rowen stiffened.

"Damn… That obvious?"

"You hesitated…" Rowen sighed.

"Something _is_ bothering you. You just said that you didn't want ta talk about 'it'."

"Right. So either way… you're wasting your time…"

"I'm _not_ wasting my time if this is what I wanna do with it!" Rowen snapped. "Spill it, man. This Domo thing is eatin' you alive." Sage's eyes snapped open and frowned. His lips tightened, but he said nothing. Rowen saw the muscles in his friend's arms tense. "… You know, Seiji," Rowen began, using Sage's more formal name. "… You… We never talk anymore… Ya used ta wanna hang out with me and the guys even though it was just dumb stuff like watch the game or… geez play Nintendo!" Rowen lay down in the soft grass and looked up at the leaves. Shafts of light spilled down on the spring like garden. "… I don't like it," he continued. "I don't like the fact that you don't trust me with anything anymore… Christ… All I have to talk to now is Nasake! But she's not a guy… She's not you…"

Sage squeezed his eyes shut to keep the tears at bay. He knew he had been such a jerk the past couple of weeks. He was so frustrated! It was hard to keep up with everyone and sort out his feelings at the same time…

Besides… everyone seemed to be having better things to do with the girls. He was angry. Angry at what was happening to him, angry that he couldn't control himself like he used to. Talpa he could deal with… the strict traditions of his family were tolerable… hell… puberty felt a heck of a lot easier than now. Before he had been so wrapped up with his childhood… Talpa… school… his family… that he had never taken the time for himself. Even meditation, a purpose he was taught to better himself, was something asked of him… not something that he willingly did. The only reason he did it was out of simple routine… Love was something he _did_ understand. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his best friend like a brother, but love… real love? Just thinking about it made his heart scream. It ached when he attempted to rationalize. It ached when he tried to ignore it. So… perhaps… stopping all emotion would stem the hunger…

All it did was seep out through the long lashes of his lavender-blue eyes and onto the stonewash color of his jeans. He felt a hand in his hair guide him forward until his forehead rested against a shoulder. He sighed heavily and sniffled. "God…" Sage whispered. "M'sorry, Ro…" He lifted his head and wiped away lingering tears. He did have _some_ dignity left in him, dammit. Rowen smirked.

"S'okay… I's just worried is all… I mean I know you don't act out like Kento when you're upset… but still… ya can't bottle shit up like Cale or Anubis. Ya gotta let it out… We'll spar later so you can take out some of this stress, 'kay?" Sage nodded and flopped back onto the grass.

"… I feel like shit," he mumbled.

"Did you even sleep last night?"

"… No."

"Why the fuck not?" he laughed. Sage dug his the heels of his hands into his eyes with an agitated groan.

"Hn, because I know what was keeping everyone up at night besides Sekhmet and Managi's boink-fest." Rowen shrugged.

"Kento and Sai's love fest with the girls bothered you _that_ much last night? You weren't even in our room!" he exclaimed. "I thought that ya _might_ be jealous that they've got a fan club now, but it's not something to loose sleep over, man!" Sage closed his eyes.

"… Have Domo or Cale come down yet?"

"Nah. Kento and Sai are still upstairs sleepin' it off… Why?"

"_They're_ the reason why I didn't sleep. I was on my way to bed when I heard them… going at it." Rowen scrambled away from Sage as if he had a contagious disease.

"WHAAAAA!" he sputtered. "D. and Cale! Holy fuckin' shit, man!" Sage laughed bitterly.

"… Funny. I was a lot calmer than you…"

"Did they see you?" Sage sighed.

"… Cale did… but the look he gave me… it seemed… guilty… I deduced what happened occurred because they were drunk. The empty bottle on the floor said it all." Rowen collapsed back to the grass beside him.

"… Wow. Cale, Domo, Kento, Sai, Megami, Sakura, Sekh, and Managi… that's… GOD. More than half the house had sex last night! Geez…"

"… Must be something in the water…" Rowen sat up abruptly.

"Ya think it's Dynasty related?" Sage burst into soft laughter. Rowen always considered every possibility… even if it was silly.

"… I doubt it," Sage chuckled. Rowen hugged his knees.

"So what are ya gonna do about Cale?"

"Nothing."

"NOTHING! He boinked the girl you happen to be gaga over!"

"… Wasn't his fault… I have a feeling that… Domo initiated the situation in the first place… She likes to drink… a little too much unfortunately. My problem is with her, not Cale…"

"Man… If Cale did that to 'Sake… Hnn…" Rowen growled. "It's bad enough what she went through…"

"Huh?" Rowen hung his head.

"… 'Sake had some financial problems after her grandmother had surgery about a year ago… The landlord threatened ta put them out on the street… so… she decided that… she could use herself as payment… It was either that or have her only living relative die…"

"So…"

"Yeah… She was raped… Repeatedly… Mostly by him… sometimes with other guys he had over," Rowen said hoarsely. His eyes misted when Sage touched his shoulder. "The girls don't know… Sai and Kento only know that she had been raped _once_… but not the whole story… God… She still flinches when I get close. I feel so helpless…" Rowen banished angry tears.

There was a long wind and chime filled pause. The scent of the wildflowers lingered in the cool spring air. Sage sighed as the dark purple and red around the heavy silhouette of Talpa's castle stood out on the blue sky over the mountains.

"… Think we can keep them safe now?" he asked. Rowen looked out at the ominous horizon and frowned.

"… Does Talpa have a major superiority complex?"

"… Out the ass," Sage laughed.

They turned their heads when they heard the creak of the screen door being opened. Mia poked her head out. "Hey guys… Lunch is ready. Hungry?" she smiled. Rowen's stomach growled rather loudly.

"… Did you swallow a bear?" Sage asked.

"… Yeah. A whole package of gummi bears last night," Rowen said, making a face. "Sugar high's a bitch…"

"Well, no WONDER you're tired!" Mia exclaimed.

* * *

"Catch." Anubis tossed Tori and apple from the refrigerator as he was bent down looking for the food he had prepared earlier. She caught it in both hands with a gasp. "I thought you said that we weren't coming back until later on in the afternoon?" she said, leaning on the door. Anubis pulled out the small lunch pack. 

"I did," he answered. "Forgot our food. Well, we might as well eat it here… Destroys the purpose of putting it in this container though," he sighed. "It took me forever to get everything to fit!" Tori peeked inside. Her eyes widened.

_Man… I think he cooks better than Sai!_ she marveled. "Hey, no worries. It's nice out. Let's eat outside in the garden," she suggested. Anubis' eyebrows lifted.

"… An excellent idea," he murmured.

"Aww… You guys goin' ona daaaaaaaate?" Rowen chided from the kitchen table. Tori blushed and glared at him.

"You wish."

"Actually, I do!" he grinned. "Come on! Just admit it you two and get it over with! Just boink all ready!" Tori made a face.

"Don't be gross, Rowen. He's just teaching me!" she defended. Sage and Rowen glanced at each other with sly grins.

"Teacher's pet," they chorused. Tori growled and squinted her eyes at the cloth napkin in Rowen's lap.

It caught fire.

"WAH!" Rowen skidded back and tried batting it out. Sage doused the flames with the glass of ice water. Rowen squeaked with the frozen contact. Having singed and cold balls was NOT a good thing. Anubis placed an armored hand on her shoulder.

"Nicely done. You're learning." Tori beamed and stuck her tongue out at Rowen.

"All right, all right! M'sorry, geez!" he snapped.

"You look like you've wet yourself, Rowen," Sage pointed out.

"… My, aren't YOU the bright crayon in the big box?" Rowen grumbled and blotted the water with a dry dishtowel.

"They don't call me Halo for nothing!" he smirked.

"HUAAAAAAA!"

Kento's yawn could be heard halfway down the hall before he entered the kitchen for the first time that day. Sai was right behind him.

"Well, well… Busy night?" Anubis asked. Kento gave him a cool smirk.

"Busier than you've been ina 'bout three years…"

"Ouch," Sai smirked. "That burned." Anubis rolled his eyes.

"Oh, yes… I felt that burn all the way down," he mocked.

"How FAR down? Tori, you have to be more careful when you _play_ with Anubis," Sage spoke up. Anubis shot him a heated glare. Tori not only matched the angered gaze, but Sage felt a little warm from it. He held up his hands defensively.

"All right… I surrender. Not another word."

"Good." Mia came back into the kitchen from bringing Yuli and Dais lunch. He had been teaching the boy to finally use the sword he had received as a Christmas present from Sage.

"What's burning?" she inquired, sniffing the air.

"Rowen flambé," he muttered.

"How did you burn yourself?"

"… Ask TORI." Tori calmly ate her apple as she waited for Anubis to finish gathering the rest of their food. She shrugged.

"Don't look at me! You're the one that's so accident prone in the kitchen…"

"She got ya there, buddy…" Kento said and opened a bottle of syrup. He shoved half a pancake in his mouth and poured some of it into his mouth.

"KENTO! Don't do that! Get a plate for heaven's sake!" Mia scolded. Kento swiped his mouth.

"Cahn'tf… I mifsed breafkfastf!" He swallowed, "Gotta make up for it! Hey those pancakes were good! Who cooked anyway?"

"Anubis," everyone stated. Kento nodded in silent approval.

"… Cool beans." A pause. "What's fer lunch?" he asked, returning to the refrigerator.

"I want to have a talk with everyone later," Mia announced. "Before dinner, understand?" She spoke in a tone of voice that left no room for argument.

"Yes, ma'am," everyone droned as she left the kitchen.

"S'up, everyone?" Domo greeted as she and Cale entered the kitchen. The room fell silent on Sage and Rowen's side. Mia paled when she saw Cale. It was the first time she had seen him in days. Tori knocked on Anubis' head.

"Come on, hurry up!"

"Ow! Quit!" Tori sighed and turned to Domo with a smile.

"You look like you had a good night's rest for once!" Domo's face colored slightly.

"… Must be the weather. It's nice out, huh?" Tori nodded then went back to bothering Anubis. She poked him.

"Are you done yet?"

"No."

"… How 'bout now?"

"NO!"

"… Now?"

"HNN."

Mia quickly began to busy herself by putting away dishes. She soon felt Cale's presence behind her. She swallowed hard when he touched her shoulder. "… May I talk with you later, my lady? It's… important," he requested softly. Mia nodded, not meeting his eyes.

"… S-sure, Cale… There's lunch on the stove. Help yourself," she whispered. She gasped when he kissed the back of her head.

"I hope you made plenty. I'm starving!" he smiled, going over and getting some food. Mia smiled softly. Her heart just felt a little lighter.

"How is it, Halo?" Cale asked. "Isn't this one of your family recipes?" He had hoped Sage would have understood the look he had given him last night. Yet he prepared for the worst from the bearer of the Halo power.

Sage didn't reply. He got up from the table with his dishes and started washing them. Sai looked up. Sage was never that rude. "Didn't you hear him, Sage?" Sage gripped the side of the sink, trying not to get too angry.

Rowen saw Sage's body tense up. He had said that it didn't really bother him because he knew what had happened, but he knew that Sage still felt a little jealous of Cale. Who wouldn't? "No. Sorry. I didn't," Sage lied in a very acid-like tone. Kento raised an eyebrow.

"Geez, Sage. What kinda bug to ya have up _your_ ass? It's not like he screwed D. behind your back!" he commented innocently. Cale choked on his food and Domo's face flared bright red.

Sage was silent.

Rowen was silent.

Domo and Cale remained in a shameful silence. Domo bit her lip. Kento blinked.

"What? Geez, it was a joke… It… Oh… Ohhhhhhh," he murmured. He winced, waiting for the sparks to fly.

This was going to get UGLY.

"What?" Tori sputtered, looking straight at Domo. She had guilt written all over. Tori frowned and grabbed Domo by the arm. "God, tell me you didn't!" she exclaimed. "Are you crazy?" she whispered inside a hiss.

"… It… just happened-"

"No, it doesn't JUST happen!" Tori snapped. "What the hell were you thinking? Were you again drunk too!" Domo yanked her arm out of Tori's armored grip.

"Lay off…" she snipped. "You sound like my mom…"

"Well at least I CARE about you more than your mother! God, I thought you were serious about Sage-"

"Shut up!" she interrupted. "You don't know what I'm going through!"

"That still doesn't give you any right or excuse to fuck the next guy who feels sorry for you! I warned you about Ryu when you did this before too and look where it got you!"

"This has nothing to do with him!"

"Bullshit!" Tori shouted and slammed her fist down on the counter making even Hardrock and Anubis jump. "This is how _you_ deal with your problems when shit hits the fan! You could have come to me to talk! I'm always here to listen! God! SAGE cares about you more than I do and you ignore him! Instead of talking, you get piss drunk and fuck! It's bad enough that you act this way when you were with Ryu! You didn't have to get Cale involved too!" she exclaimed. "Stop acting like a _whore_!"

Domo's hand shot out and slapped Tori's cheek hard.

"Fuck you! You don't understand what I'm going through!" she shrieked. "So how the hell could you tell me what's best for me! You were never gang-raped at fourteen! You were never raped by a demon in front of someone you care about! GOD! You don't know what I've been through! You don't know what it's like!" she cried, angry tears flooding her eyes. She didn't care. This HAD to be said.

"I am SO _disgusted_ with you and your 'holier than thou' attitude! You spout and preach nonsense about your 'precious' virginity like it's actually something sacred! Being a virgin is just a state of being… It's not worth saving. It's not all ribbons and flowers, and feel good fuck-me feelings. It's rough, hard, and savage. Men don't care if you want it to be right or not! You're just a piece of ass. The first time sucks just as much when you do it again. Being raped and making love aren't different. It's all the same. It's _garbage_! And that's what you feel like when it's over: _garbage_…" Domo didn't bother to wipe away the tears flowing down her cheeks. Nothing mattered.

"… Cale and I have our reasons… We were hurting. We were drunk… Trying to forget everything that had gone wrong… the raping, the cheating… the constant numbing sameness of it all! How _dare_ you judge me! You don't even know the first thing about it," she snarled and flew out of the kitchen.

Sage snarled deep in his throat. "All right. I've had it with this…" He dashed out of the kitchen after her.

The others present stood in a shocked and saddened silence. Tori held her stinging cheek, tears racing down her flushed face of shame. Anubis went to examine her cheek. She slapped his hand away and turned to the sink. The hands returned to her shoulders as she leaned over the sink and wept softly. "Come. Let's go outside and calm you down…" Tori pulled out of his touch and walked a shameful path to the garden with Anubis trailing behind her silently.

* * *

She just ran. She wasn't sure in which direction. It didn't matter. She didn't care. She just had to get out and away. Branches whipped at her face, leaving scratches and her feet started to sting from sharp thorns and sticks lining the forest floor. _How could she! So stupid! Everyone's so STUPID!_ she chastised herself. _Dammit! God dammit!_

_"Running isn't going to stop the hurt, Domo," _Korin telepathed to her.

"I don't care! I don't see _you_ offering any comfort!" she sobbed and continued to run. "Where were you when I got drunk with Cale!"

_"My lady… I am not your nursemaid. I only guide you…"_

"Fuck you!" she shrieked and severed the link. She felt a sharp pain rip against the side of her leg, making her trip and fall to the grass. She didn't get up. She just wanted to die.

"Domo!" Sage's voice called. She lifted her head with a gasp and pulled herself to her feet, running again. _Go away, go away, go away!

* * *

_Sage caught a glimpse of her white tank top disappear over a large log. He frowned. _This isn't helping…_ he thought. _I'm not getting anywhere._ He concentrated briefly as he ran, summoning the ivory and emerald sub-armor. His speed increased considerably as he finally caught up to her. She was still running, but slowly giving up on it all together. He latched onto her arm and spun her around. 

"Domo!"

"Leave me alone, Sage!" she snarled and swung out her hand blindly. He caught it in a painful grip and shoved her against the trunk of a large tree rather roughly. He wasn't going to be gentle any longer. She had a beast inside of her and it wasn't going to be taken lightly.

"Stop running!" he ordered. Domo struggled in his hands, not caring if he bruised her arms.

"Leave me alone… Just go!" Sage's one eye flashed and he snarled.

"NO! God dammit, you are NOT going to run away from me this time. Whatever your problem is, it's going to stop NOW!" he barked.

"I can do as a please!" she snapped angrily.

"Only a selfish person would!" he stabbed, catching her off guard by insulting her.

"… Fuck you, Halo!" Sage shoved her against the trunk again.

"You'd _like_ that wouldn't you?" he growled lowly. "Because that's all you're good for! That's all that you know how to do… Isn't that what you want me to say, so you can wallow more in self pity?" he continued. "Well, I'm not like that, Domo! I won't believe it! I refuse to!" He pushed himself away from her and stared at her with angry eyes.

"… You've really disappointed me, Domo… I thought you had more sense and morality than this. You're acting foolishly as selfishly. Tori was right when she said that you were acting like a whore…"

"I heard what she said! I don't fucking need you to remind me! The fuck do you care anyway? You just wanna piece of ass too!"

"Don't flatter yourself!" he shouted. "Quit being such a drama queen!" Domo made a stifled cry before her hand flew out and struck Sage's cheek, drawing blood. Sage grimaced and backhanded her hard enough to knock her on her back. He pinned her arms up over her head. "Get _over_ it!" he ordered. Domo's eyes burned.

"… You… I _hate_ you!" she gasped. "You don't know what it's like, Seiji…" she cried. "You're childhood wasn't taken, your innocence wasn't ripped into…"

"No, but I know others like you and they're not poisoning themselves!"

"You fucking lie."

"Your friend Nasake is one of them!" Domo's eyes grew large. "… That's right. That shit sucker of a landlord raped her just like you. He used and abused her just like you were every month of her life… She had NO ONE… and she's not killing herself like you are," he said softly. He lowered his eyes. "You have every divine god given animal right to be angry, to feel like you've been used, sad… I DO understand what you are feeling," he whispered. "I was there too watching you being hurt and unable to stop it. He raped me too. He raped us both…" Domo turned her face away.

"You're just saying that to try and make me feel better." There was a soft flash of green light as he sub-armor vanished.

"… How many scars do you have since it happened? There's ten total on your back running diagonally… fang marks on your neck… your breasts… even between your legs. I have them too. All of them," he whispered, sitting up and pulling his shirt off over his head. A mirror image of all of the lacerations she had covered his chest and neck. Her eyes filled with tears. He leaned back over her and kissed her temple tenderly. "… Why didn't you come talk to me?" he whispered. "… I wouldn't judge you. I just want to protect you. You can trust me…" He found her eyes. "… You have no reason not to… It's the same with everyone else. You can trust us… It isn't fair for everyone when you expect things to just be okay suddenly and get upset when nothing good happens… There is an effort that you must give…"

Domo just stared up into the lavender-blue depths. It was those same eyes as the night before. The eyes that didn't scold, burn, or judge appeared to her more real and genuine than ever. _… Thank you, Cale…_

Slender arms flew around his neck and she buried her face into his shoulder. "Seiji… I… I'm sorry… Please… Help me…" she quavered. Sage lifted himself up and held her in a tight embrace, curling his fingers into her long blonde hair, and inhaling the scent of lilacs while feeling the first rays of sunlight light him once more…

* * *

**A/N:_ I dedicate this chapter to my very best friend who's there for me to set me straight when I need it. Thank you!_**

Long one, ne? I think this is the longest chapter that I've ever written for this fic! O.o Did everyone get a good dose of insulin I was due for a sappy chapter anyway. Oh well, I guess that means that the bad guys should show up again soon huh? Oh, the answer to the question about the character profiles? I scrapped them. Everything's basically the same, but it was too much of a limiter. Besides, it totally can give away surprises and junk. Hope you enjoyed this one! (sorry about the questions not looking right in this chapter I can't put the exclaimation point and the question mark together now... HN.)


	39. Envy Me, Oh Jealous Sky

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"  
By Onikage

Scroll Thirty-Nine: "Envy Me, Oh Jealous Sky"

Tori winced with a soft sob when Anubis pressed a cold compress on the side of her lips and cheek. It was still bleeding slightly. "Ow…"  
"I'm sorry," he murmured and tilted her face towards the sunlight shining through the trees. "It's a bad cut… Just keep it on there, all right?" She fell silent with a slow nod. She felt so terrible after what happened in the kitchen. Tears blurred her vision as she stared down at the blanket where they sat. "… I… was only trying to help," she quavered, trying not to cry. Anubis stopped what he was doing.  
"… I know," he began. He sighed to himself when she failed to halt her tears. "Tori…"  
"No one looks out for her… 'cept me," she sniffled. "And she wonders why she's so depressed and drunk all the time! It's because she doesn't listen! It's like she doesn't even care about how her stupid stunts make us feel!" she shouted. She felt warm armored hands cup her cheek and the back of her head as they pulled her against the iron-like clad shoulder. She went with its pull. He rubbed her back slowly.  
"Hey… Don't cry… She is just very confused now… Whatever made her sleep with Cale and yell at you is something that has been controlling her for a long while… I'm sure she does care… but perhaps… she forgot that. With all of her bad relationships and her family disintegrating," he began softly, "she probably lost the trust she had too… It's a defensive way of acting and thinking. Like when… Well, when you were in denial when we told you that Kiku had died, you tried to run from reality… but the more you ran… the harder and more painful her death became. Such is the same for Korin… She has been running away from her emotions and problems all of her life… and now that she has been cornered… we can probably expect her to break soon… if not all ready. No matter what happens, you must give her all the support you can…" She pulled away and looked up at him sadly. He touched the top of her hair with an armored hand with a smile. "… Things will work out, little one… Tread lightly, okay?" She nodded and wiped her cheeks. She tasted blood on her tongue and felt him put the compress back. Anubis held her chin delicately and sighed.  
"I may have to stitch it later…" he murmured. Tori's eyes widened. She shook her head vigorously.  
"You ain't getting anywhere near MY lips!" she exclaimed, then flushed when she realized how it sounded. Anubis chuckled and smirked coolly.  
"Pity… they're such a lovely color and look so soft," he teased in a low voice. He loved watching her get so flustered. She frowned.  
"Sorry to disappoint you, Red," she snipped, "but these are for one person and one person only and it's definitely-"  
"Wildfire, perchance?" Anubis asked with a cunning grin. "No, no… wait. I mean… 'Yo-sama!" he sighed dreamily. Tori eyes widened.  
"N-no!" she lied, her face fire red. "I-I don't know what you are talking about!"  
"Liar; you're getting excited! Look at you!" he argued, grinning from ear to ear. This was too much fun. "You're in _love_ with Wildfire!" he shouted and jumped to his feet.  
"Stop it! I-I'm not!" she denied and grabbed his arm. "Be quiet! Someone might hear you!" she hissed. Anubis gave her a cool smirk.  
"I know."  
"Anubis! _Please_!" she cried. Her outburst startled him and her approaching tears startled him more. She gripped his arm and lowered her eyes. "Please don't tell… He'll be so mad… so will Kayura. Please, please, _please_ don't tell!" she begged softly. Anubis kneeled back down to the blanket as guilt slowly set in. He sighed.  
"You really _do_ love him, don't you?" he asked softly. He had been pulling her leg before. This wasn't quite the reaction he wanted…  
In fact, it was the _last_ thing he wanted…  
She nodded slowly. "Please don't tell anybody. Not Cale or Sekkie! You can't even tell Whiteblaze!" she exclaimed, holding his arm. Anubis nodded slowly. Frankly, he was a little disappointed. He just expected a small crush… like Kayura had on himself. Teasing her like this wasn't fun… in fact it sucked. "Promise me!"  
"Okay!"  
"I want to hear you say it!" she cried. Anubis nodded again, more vigorously.  
"All right, all right… I won't tell anyone… You have my word," he promised.  
"If you tell _anyone_, Zeal won't be the only one who wants to kill you!" she snapped, tears welling in her eyes.  
"Not a soul…" Tori pulled away from him and hid her face in her knees.  
"… I can't believe this."  
"… Why… won't you tell him? He may actually love you back," Anubis said, mentally regretting the words. Her head snapped upwards at him.  
"I can't tell him! NO fucking way!" She hid her face again. "Maan, this isn't happening…"  
_Might as well follow through now… Idiot. Can't keep your trap shut, can you?_ he scolded himself. "… What have you got to lose?" he placed a hand on her shoulder. Tori looked up at him with weary eyes.  
"I… I don't know… it's… embarrassing."  
"No. Being caught in the middle of an orgy is embarrassing… especially when you're drunk as hell and most of the group is male," he sighed heavily. Tori's eyes widened.  
"Y-you… and… WHEN?" she exclaimed. Anubis sighed again.  
"It was after I had been promoted… I think. All of us had one too many bottles of saké… You tell NO ONE, understand?" he frowned. He swallowed hard when she started giggling… almost mad-like… She looked like she was _enjoying_ the thought rolling through her… well, now… _dirty_ little mind. He frowned again. "Hey! I _mean_ it!" He almost looked like he was going to pout.  
"All bets are off if you tell, buster! One peep and it'll be spandex and glitter eye shadow for you! The gold sparkly kind! You wouldn't pull of hot pink very well with your coloring," she giggled. She lifted a lock of his hair. "Curling your hair and plucking those eyebrows of yours will only be the beginning!" He batted her hands away.  
"My eyebrows are FINE just as they are…" he grumbled. Tori rolled her eyes.  
"You're just lucky that you're cute so that you can get away with them… Just lemme-"  
"Touch my eyebrows and you will become most unpleasant," he threatened with a playful tone. Tori pouted.  
"You never let me have any fun…" Anubis twitched when she started to pout. He groaned inwardly. She looked too damn cute for her own good when she did that. He hated it… Kayura managed to skate by with that tactic as well. He sighed heavily.  
"Fine… I'll let you CUT my hair. It's too long now." He fingered the long auburn strands tied together loosely with a shredded strip of cloth; his hair draped over and down his arm and chest reaching to his waist easily. Tori blinked. He actually looked good with his hair like that she noted with a faint blush.  
"Why don't you let Mia cut it?" she asked as she munched on an apple. Anubis paled.  
"She uses a bowl to cut little Yuli's hair…"  
"No she doesn't… _does_ she?" she gaped in disbelief  
"Ask the poor lad!" he laughed. "No offense to her in any way, but I would rather have a go at that male… _incident…_ before I let her cut MY hair…" Tori raised an eyebrow.  
"And you'll let me cut it?" she asked, touching the end. She was surprised how soft it felt. "It looks good like this…"  
"I've seen you cut your own hair before… It seems… _normal_. It gets in the way sometimes too," he smirked. "So what are you going to do? You don't have to tell him, you know. It is your decision, little one." Tori looked down in her lap.  
"… But…" He grasped her shoulders again gently.  
"Hey, look at me," he ordered gently. Tori looked up shyly and blushed. His stare was so intense. "He'd have to be _blind_ not to fall for someone like you… Besides, I'll help you out if you need it," he said gently.  
"R-really?" she smiled tearfully. He wiped her cheeks with his thumb and gave her a soft smile.  
"Of course." Tori latched onto his chest with a happy cry.  
"Thank you!" she sniffled.

* * *

Mia watched everyone filing into the kitchen. Her arms were crossed and she leaned against the counter where bottle after bottle of alcohol sat lined all around the room. Everyone was silent and weary. Mia was calm, silent, with her eyebrows slightly raised. Whenever she looked like that it meant trouble. She glanced around the room.  
"Where are Sage and Domo? Anubis and Tori are missing too," she demanded. Kento raised his hand hesitantly. He looked like a student unaware of the answer. "Yes?" she began.  
"… U-um… outside?" Mia sighed heavily.  
"Well, then you can tell them then." She flashed him and Sai a glare. They straightened, swallowing a large lump in their throats. "Does anyone care to tell me why I have called you all here?" she asked nonchalantly.  
"Okay, okay! I'm sorry! _I_ was the one that broke the lamp in the living room!" Rowen exclaimed. Mia gave him a quizzical look.  
"No… That's not why… I'll talk to _you_ later, Rowen…" Rowen swore under his breath. Mia indicated to the army of empty bottles behind her.  
"Here's a clue…" Kento raised his hand again.  
"U-um… 'C-c-c-c-c-cause the bottles are empty?"  
"Well, very good, Kento! I can see that the hangover is over and done with for you to be able to think now!" she snapped. He flinched. "These are all the bottles that this house has consumed within the past _fortnight_!" Ryo leaned over to Dais.  
"Hey… what's a 'fortnight'?"  
"… Two weeks," he whispered.  
"DAIS!" Mia snapped. He jumped.  
"Yes, my lady!"  
"Shut. Up."  
"Yes, my lady." Mia began to pace.  
"Sekhmet. How many bottles are here?" He straightened slightly. He wasn't sure why he was acting like he was afraid; yet there was something very intimidating about Mia. It was like Talpa once was but… more deadly? He swallowed.  
"U-um… T-twenty-two?"  
"Good." She folded her arms. "I have emptied out every single bottle unopened or not into the sink. I am sick and tired of people getting piss drunk around here! We have minors in this house still and I do NOT condone this kind of behavior! Since you all seem that you cannot control yourselves… I have gotten rid of the problem!"  
Jaws hit the floor.  
"But what about my cooking?" Sai protested. "You didn't pour out the Sherry, did you?"  
"Gone."  
"And the rum?" Sekhmet and Cale exclaimed in askance.  
"Yep. There were five bottles in the wine cabinet," she stated in disgust.  
"But," they chorused. "WHY IS THE RUM GONE?"  
"Enough! The subject is closed! Stop whining!" Mia ordered. She eyed Sekhmet and Managi. "… The bed creaking will stop too. I'm sick of hearing Yuli complaining about the moaning keeping him up at night."  
"Boy's gotta learn sometime," Ryo muttered.  
"RYO!"  
"Aah! Y-yes?" he squeaked.  
"… Throw all these away since you can't seem to keep your comments to yourself. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"  
"Yes ma'am," everyone droned. She flounced out quickly. Cale grabbed one of the empty bottles of rum and moaned.  
"Noooo…" Sekhmet put his hand on his shoulder.  
"It'll be okay man…"  
"My ruuuum," he whined.

* * *

Domo reached down and plucked a small blossom off of a honeysuckle vine. She was still leaning against Sage as he leaned against the trunk of a large oak, silent. She sniffled and sighed heavily.  
"I'm seriously fucked up, huh Sage?" she mumbled against his shoulder. He continued to stroke her hair.  
"… You're no more than I am or anyone else," he whispered. She lifted her face and gave him a long and silent look. He reached up and held her cheek. It had a few small scratches from a branch or two. It was slightly streaked from the tracks of her tears. He sighed heavily, knowing that there would be more to soon follow. "… Let's head back. You're probably still exhausted after all that has happened. You need to rest before we get back to training…" Domo flushed and stared down at her lap for a long time. Sage stared up at her and lifted her face gently. "… What is it?"  
"… S-Sage… I-I'm sorry. I…" she sniffled again and hid her face in her hands. "It… just happened… After what happened in the apartment… I thought you-"  
"… Water under the bridge," he whispered and put his arms around her. "There's nothing that you should be sorry for…" He paused and pulled away slowly. "A-are we okay?" he asked after a moment. Domo lifted her face and let him dry her eyes.  
"Y-yeah."  
"Shall I carry you back, milady?" he chuckled. Domo started laughing softly.  
"Don't push your luck, Halo," she giggled, making him burst into his own fit of giggles. He stood and helped her to her feet. It was then he noticed her slightly swollen ankle. He bent down and held her small foot in his hands. Warmth flowed into her followed by a tingling sensation much like when her foot would fall asleep. "Sage! That tickles! Stop!" she laughed, still squirming slightly. Sage held on to her foot.  
"Wait, hey…" He peered at her foot closely. "Purple nail polish?"  
"What? I like purple! And it's called 'Manic Panic Purple Pain'!"  
"… I think you need a nail polish that has a much more… relaxing name…" Domo put her hands on her hips.  
"Oh really? Like what?" Sage very lightly tapped the back of her knee, causing her to fall backwards. He caught her gracefully and pulled her into his lap.  
"Oh I dunno… How about Sexy, Sultry, Sensual Emerald." Domo blinked.  
"That doesn't even rhyme!" she laughed. Sage fell silent. Domo knocked on his head. "Seiji? Somethin' wrong?" she asked and slipped off of his lap. He stood and shook his head, while removing his shoes.  
"Put these on."  
"Huh? Why?"  
"Um, barefoot. You don't want a nematode, do you?"  
"But what about," she stopped when Sage recalled his green and ivory subarmor. She frowned. "Cheater." He raised an eyebrow as she slipped on the sneakers.  
"Hottie."  
"Wh-what?" she flushed. Sage extended his hand.  
"Did I stutter? C'mon." She slowly took his hand. It was surprisingly warm in the armored grip. His fingers curled around hers as they started back.

* * *

Megami trailed behind Kento, while lugging a very large picnic basket. She bounced it gently off her knees as she followed him down the path towards the south side of the lake with the meadow. He was humming something along the lines of "Old Mac Donald"… whatever THAT meant. _Must be some American thing… Singing about piggies and oinking… WEIRD_, she thought to herself. She stopped to set the basket down, to get a better grip on it before starting again. She stood and blushed when she saw that Kento had stopped. He seemed to be waiting for her. "Are you _sure_ you don't want to switch? The blanket's not as heavy you know," he stated. Megami hefted the basket with a small grunt.  
"No, thanks, Kento-kun. Someone has to make sure that there is food in here for the picnic," she said nonchalantly. Kento looked sheepish.  
"H-hey, I'm not even that hungry right now."  
"I've heard…hmf! that one before… urgh," she mumbled, continuing on down the path. Kento hurried after her.  
"What? I'm not!" he laughed. Megami frowned.  
"Man. If Sai and Sakura were gonna meet up with us, they should have brought their own food! There's enough here for all of us, plus two more for you!" she grunted and set it down on the dirt path. Kento sighed with a chuckle and lifted it without any problem.  
"Oh, Sai and Sakura said that they had something to do. They're not meeting us after all," he announced. Megami's face flushed with embarrassment and a little bit of anger. He continued on with her glaring after him. _If he wanted to go on a date, he could have asked! _  
"Hey, Megami?" he asked and turned around. She quickly masked her anger and smiled.  
"What?" He scratched his head.  
"Um… You look… nice today, by the way," he murmured. Megami blushed.  
"O-oh. T-thanks…" 

"HEY! Kento!" They both turned upon hearing Sage's voice. Kento swallowed when he saw Domo. He almost forgot about the little incident in the kitchen earlier. He waved nervously.  
"H-hey, Sagie-boy… S'up?" he laughed uneasily.  
"Just out for a little walk," Sage lied. Domo blushed. "Y'know to clear out any signs of cabin fever. Where are you two love birds going?" he chuckled, nudging Kento. He turned red.  
"Over there by the large oak tree. We didn't eat lunch today cause we woke up late…" Kento looked down at the ground. Sage glanced at Domo who seemed to be carrying on her own conversation with Megami.  
"Something wrong, Kento? Is it something I said?"  
"Huh, no… I… stuff went down last night and she's a little shaken… She can't remember everything, soo… We're just gonna y'know… start over…"  
"Ohh," Sage nodded. "I know how you feel…"  
"Yeah, I bet. So you're not gonna kill Cale?" Kento asked, raising an eyebrow. Sage folded his arms.  
"I've all ready thought of a way to deal with him," he said lightly, not wanting to divulge anymore of the subject. Kento smirked.  
"Give 'em hell, man," he laughed. Sage smirked, but then his face turned from sly to serious.  
"Hey, be careful today."  
"Huh? You know me Sage. I'm always careful."  
"Yeah, when you're by yourself… Watch her back, okay? I've got an eerie feeling…" Kento nodded.  
"Sure thing, bud."  
"Kentooooo, c'moooon!" Megami whined.  
"I'm hurrying! See ya, Sage!"  
"Later, Romeo…"

* * *

Sage opened the door to his room, waiting for Domo to enter. "Go on…"  
"Huh?" she blinked. "I was just going to-"  
"I want to keep an eye on you… Just for today," he smiled softly. Domo blushed. She hated and yet loved being on the receiving end of that smile. She hated the way that it made her face just flare. Sage seemed to notice this and chuckled softly. "Come on. You need to rest."  
"But I can in my room Sage."  
"Without being disturbed?" Domo fell silent. Whenever Sage was in his room and wanted to be alone, he shut the door. Everyone knew to not disturb him, especially after that incident with Kento and the squirt gun. Sage made it clear that he was not to be messed with…  
The pink and green eye shadow looked hideously perfect on Hardrock.  
"O-okay…" Sage grinned as she stepped inside. Domo sat on his bed and gasped. She bounced slightly and blinked.  
"Heeeeeeey."  
"Something wrong?" he asked and sat beside her.  
"Yeah… You're bed is so comfy!" she frowned. "No fair!"  
"It's the comfiest one in the house too."  
"Wait, what? No fair!"  
"What? I have back problems sometimes…" Domo raised an eyebrow.  
"Yep. All those nights being 'saddled up'… I would be too…" she mumbled. Sage chuckled with a blush.  
"I never initiated it… My first time was against my will… sort of," he said nervously. Domo blinked.  
"Whoa, really? What happened?"  
"… Date rape drug… I met a girl at a party. She 'slipped me a mickey' and the next thing I know, she riding me to a gallop in the back bedroom. So I… kinda know what it's like to loose your virginity against one's will… I just wish that it had been with someone I loved… I haven't felt like that yet, no matter how many stories the guys tell you." He lowered his eyes and fell silent.  
"… I was… I was walking home from school when I was younger," she began softly. She slid her fingers to Sage's hand and curled around it slowly. She didn't look up. He turned to her. "I told you part of the story, but not all of it… It was getting dark and I had missed the bus so I waited for a little bit for the next one… These guys then started waiting with me. They were high school boys… The started hounding me so I decided to walk home. Tori's house was close by… about ten blocks from where I was. I figured I would stay with her and Kaos-sama until they went away… I… I didn't make it. I… remember a sharp blow to the back of my head… then nothing for a few moments… Hands… at my skirt and blouse… Rough hands touching me on the outside… and inside…" she swallowed hard, the sting of shame rushing over her face. "The next thing I knew my panties were gone, something hot was inside and there was this stabbing pain… I tried to scream, but another shoved himself in my mouth and…" She squeezed her eyes shut, tears falling. Sage stayed silent. "It was fast and so rough… I felt myself getting loose and wet… and it started to feel good," she wept softly. "I couldn't stop myself from moving more. I couldn't stop feeling the orgasms!" she exclaimed in an explosion of tears. Sage let her bury her face in shame in his chest as she just cried her eyes out. He touched her shoulders and kissed the top of her head, pulling close.  
"… I ran home after they left and told mom what happened… parts of it. We went to the hospital and they took care of me for a while," she mumbled after a long time. She dried her eyes on her sleeve and didn't meet his eyes. "I've been a whore since day one. I enjoyed getting raped by those boys," she whispered. Sage lifted her eyes and said nothing. Domo felt her cheeks heat further and looked away.  
"W-what?"  
"… If I tickled your feet when you didn't want me too, you would still laugh wouldn't you?" he asked.  
"Yeah… so?"  
"So, it's the same kind of thing. You're body just responded to a normal act. Sex is sex like you said, but if you initially didn't want it, it's nothing to be ashamed of if something like that made you feel that way. Your body just responded to stimuli, honey… whether you wanted it to or not. That's just how things work. You didn't do anything wrong…" Domo fell silent then yawned.  
"Sleepy…" Sage pulled back the comforter of his bed and pulled off Domo's house shoes.  
"Lie down for a little while. You'll feel better after a nap," he said after tucking her in. Domo blushed with his actions. He turned to go.  
"Seiji?"  
"Hm?"  
"Can you stay? Just until I fall asleep?" she asked meekly. He just smiled and curled up beside her.  
"Go to sleep okay?"  
" 'Kay," she said through a yawn. The clock started to chime on the half hour and before it had finished, Domo had fallen fast asleep. Sages glanced over at the clock and then back to Domo. He sighed heavily and reached over to pull her long hair from her face. Exposing her neck in the process, he saw faint scars of several bite marks from large fangs. His eyes squinted slightly and felt a chill run down his spine. Carefully he slipped his arm over and around her as he spooned up behind her back. He nuzzled close, sighed deeply, and fell asleep to the sound of her breathing.

* * *

"How did the boys receive the new armors again? Remind me," Dais asked. Mia dug through a large box.  
"All I know that a ghost named Suzunagi put them through some type of test… I think it had something to do with a play they found… I'm not too sure, but, if the same applies to you four and the picture of the new armors we found, you can bet that you'll be confronted with a test of some kind before you get the new armor…" She tossed a mousetrap over her shoulder. It hit Dais in the head, springing and catching in his hair. "Ah! Hey… Watch it, my lady!" he laughed.  
"Sorry."  
"… I think I see the connection you're making… sort of…"  
"Well, remember Anubis' hypothesis? Suzunagi was once human so she has a link with the armors since the boys are mortal with human virtues… So I would like to think that your test is coming from the gods themselves because of the virtues you hold now OR the new virtues these new armors might possess..."  
"… Sounds like it makes sense… Did the boys receive new virtues?"  
"I don't believe so… It's just a theory…"  
"Hmm," Dais murmured, opening another box. He coughed as another puff of dust blew in his face from opening a large box. "Ack, b-blast it!" he coughed. "M-my lady… Wh-where did you say you found your grandfather's journal?" Mia's head popped out from behind a small tower of boxes at the far end of the overhead.  
"Somewhere up here. Everything got moved around when we had to make room for Anubis' little transformation. I had found it along with those photos of the wall paintings I showed Kayura, but I found the box almost as soon as the others got here."  
"Well, why didn't you get the rest of the items in box, my dear? It would have saved us the search-ACHOO! Ugh… Not to mention a case of hay fever."  
"Bless you. Because, Dais, I was so busy with everything else going on that I forgot about it. I just remembered it after Kaos died. Oh, I know it's here somewhere…" She turned to the small tower of boxes beside her and read the sides. Dais still fumbled through the box he had and sighed.  
"AHHH!" Mia's voice and a large crash caught his attention and he was at her side instantly.  
"Gods, my lady! Are you all right?" he exclaimed. Mia shoved the lighter box off of her and rubbed her hip.  
"Owch… Yeah… I found the box." She gestured to the bottom box behind Dais. He helped her to her feet and dusted off her shoulders.  
"Be more careful next time," he warned. Mia giggled at his seriousness of his request. "What! You really could have been hurt! It's not funny!"  
"Oh, I'm not laughing at that!" she smiled. She leaned up and kissed him softly. Anger melted from his face. "Better?" Dais for a moment was a little dazed, but then he quickly frowned.  
"Just because you kiss me doesn't make it go-" She kissed him again, more slowly this time. Dais held her close and advanced on her, causing her to back against a large dresser. The force of her back caused her to knock something off of the top. Mia tore her lips away from Dais'. "What was that?" she asked. Dais began to kiss up and down her neck.  
"Nothing," he mumbled against her skin. Mia shrugged out of Dais' arms and bent down to pick up a small blue leather back book. It was a little heavy and on the thick side. It had been tied together with a leather strap and a small pen was still inside marking the last page written. In burned letters on the front, it read: "Journal". Mia looked up at Dais. "I've never seen this before… Does it belong to you?"  
"Hm?" Dais took the journal and shook his head. "No…" He untied it and opened it to the first page. He instantly recognized the scripture. His one blue eye widened. "This… is Kaos'!" Mia gasped and yanked it out of his hands.  
"No way!" she gasped and flipped through the large journal.  
"My lady, be careful with that!" he hissed. "Rekka may want it." Mia pulled him to the dusty and covered sofa and sat, pulling him with her. "Mia!"  
"Dais… Look…" She pointed to a page marked with a red ribbon.  
"'Amaranthine'…" He paused. "… Do you think that Kaos knew where it is?"  
"I'm not sure… Most of this is in some strange language. Nothing I've ever seen or read." Dais peered at it closely.  
"… That's because it's in the Ancient's tongue…"  
"Maybe Kayura knows what it says?" Mia pointed out and leaned on his arm. Dais flipped through the pages.  
"Runes, elvish… dwarvish… He's changing so many times for some reason," Dais murmured. The pages were filled with pictures, sketches, symbols, and footnotes within the available spaces between paragraphs.  
"Perhaps it's code?" Dais agreed with a nod. "I can make out the runes… but Anubis will have to decode the rest."  
"Anubis knows them?"  
"All he ever really did was learn to speak languages in between war tactics and sparring. How else do you think he was able to conquer all of those realms for Talpa?" Mia blinked.  
"I just thought it was because he was so pretty, honestly." Dais raised an eyebrow and pouted ever so slightly.  
"Well, thank you very much, my lady."  
"Oh, don't be like that… I was kidding, Dais!" she giggled. He just sighed. Mia tugged on his sleeve. "Dais?… Hey, I was joking…"  
"I suppose…" he sighed. He loved playing games with her. She hadn't quite caught on to most of them yet. He loved to tease her. Mia hugged him.  
"I'm sorry, Dais. If it makes you feel any better, I think you have nicer eyes…. Er… I mean." He started to laugh.  
"I know what you meant, my lady." He kissed her forehead. "Come on, let's go see if Kayura can translate what she can…" Mia stopped him from getting up from the couch.  
"Dais?" she asked softly. Her face had become quite flushed. He set the book down in his lap. She didn't finish.  
"Mia? What is it?"  
"Um… If… if that hadn't have fallen and… stopped us… Wh-what do you think would have happened?" she asked softly. She didn't look him in the eye. Dais' one eye widened after a moment before he caught her meaning. He lifted her eyes.  
"What ever you wanted to happen…" he smiled softly and held her cheek delicately. Mia held it to her skin and closed her eyes. He pulled her close and sighed. "I'm not going to rush you into anything, all right?" he whispered. Mia nodded silently and just held onto him.

* * *

Badamon yelped at a beaker full of liquid exploded on the wall of stone above his head. "DAMN HER! BITCH! WHORE OF PIGS!" Zeal shrieked. She thundered through Badamon's laboratory, knocking over tables and boxes. She leaned over a larger counter and gripped the sides in utter anger. Badamon glanced over at the viewing flame: 

_ "Look! I made an apple face! Grah hah ha haaaa!" Tori giggled and waved the carved apple at Anubis. He batted her away with a laugh.  
"Don't play with your food!" he chuckled. Tori paused a moment.  
"GRAAAAAAAHHH! Apple-attack-formation!" she cackled and pinned him on the picnic blanket. Anubis grabbed her wrist and chomped down on the apple.  
"Power-hungry-oni-mastication!" he laughed. Tori pouted.  
"Ewww… Now I can't eat it!"  
"Eat around it. I don't have the plague!" he laughed. Tori set the apple aside and just lay on his chest. "Something wrong, little one?"  
"Nothing. I was just thinking…"_

Zeal screamed in anger again and launched a large fireball at the torch holding the scene playing out before them. "Traitor! BASTARD!" she shrieked, knocking off everything on the counter. Badamon swallowed hard.  
"Don't fret, my lady," he reassured.  
"To hell with you, ghost!" she snapped, throwing another vial of liquid at him.  
"ACH! My sleeping tonic!" he whined as it shattered to the stone floor. "Oh dear… weeks wasted."  
"BLAST IT!" Zeal hissed. "Why won't the bitch just die?" Badamon made a broom appear out of thin air and started sweeping up the mess.  
"It's because of her guardian, my lady. Kill the guardian, you'll kill the summoner!" he explained. Zeal snarled.  
"They've no longer taken physical form, idiot!" she yelled. Badamon stopped sweeping.  
"Oh… Hmmm… Well, there is always Master's blood." Zeal stiffened and turned her head.  
"What did you say?"  
"Hm? Oh, the blood of Master Kurai. It can kill anything! Don't you read!" he sputtered. Zeal snatched up the priest by his thin neck. He yelped.  
"Why read when I can just _squeeze_ my information from you? Speak!"  
"Come now, my lady! Master Kurai was banished from the heavens and had festered beneath the lowly feet of mortals for eons. They say his blood is the source of all disease and death in the mortal realm," he chuckled. "One drop and not even the great serpent emperor's venom can cure her!"  
"Interesting… Get me some!" she ordered, throwing him to the ground. Badamon landed hard and he rubbed the back of his head.  
"One cannot simply just take his blood!"  
"Then how?"  
"I don't know!" Badamon snapped back and floated up in her face. "I don't know everything, my lady! I try so very hard for you and Lady Managi when she was still here! And do I get a thank you? NO! It's nothing but work, work, work!" he pouted and started sweeping again. Zeal stood a little shocked by the priest's outburst. She then smirked.  
"Badamon… please," she began in a silken tone, wandering around behind the old ghoul. She traced her hand up his back and touched his ear gently. "Please, please? Help me kill that little witch? Oh pleaaaaaase?" she cooed. "I know you can find something if you just try…" Badamon would have blushed if he still had a beating heart.  
"W-well, I-I can certainly try," he chuckled.  
"Goood," she smiled. "You're right I don't appreciate all that you do for me."  
There was a large gust of wind that knocked Badamon onto the ground. Zeal just stood firm as one of the wraiths cloaked in black appeared practically on top of Badamon.  
"Oof! Get off!"  
"What is it? I'm busy," Zeal snipped. The wraith hissed softly:  
"Massster Kurai ssssummonsss you. Very important… A missssion about the ssssummonersss. In the abyssss he isss, yessss." Zeal's brow piqued with interest.  
"I see."  
"GET OFF ME YOU POOR EXCUSE FOR A DUNG CLEANING RAG!" Badamon ordered. Zeal sighed.  
"I will be there presently." The wraith vanished and Badamon popped up swinging. Zeal spun him around.  
"Sorry about the mess, priest. The 'master' needs my attention."  
"I'll find a way to get that for you."  
"You would do well to do so."

* * *

Zeal let the portal close behind her and followed the dark winding staircase down to the abyss. This is where Talpa had placed Kurai after he had been freed from Hell. The ancient guardian was still very weak from his journey. Zeal held out a palm and a small blue fireball formed, lighting her way. She could hear the deep chanting of the ankoku priests the closer she got. The stairs were getting easier to see as she made her way down to the pit.  
The path opened up into a large cavern-like room that seemed to stretch nearly endlessly. She had been down here several times. Every time it seemed to get larger. The entire cavern was flooded with hot, boiling lava like liquid. Priests hovered above her in sphere like shields tending to beasts being reborn or put to death. There was one happening right beside her that seemed quite large. Ignoring it she approached the edge and a priest met her on the shore. "Kurai summoned me. Take me to him." The priest nodded silently and encased her in the bubble along with him. They hovered only a few moments to the middle of the large sea of glowing red and orange to a platform where Kurai sat. The bubble landed gently at the base of the stairs. At the top Kurai sat in his bed behind a sheer curtain of purple and blackened silk. Zeal kneeled as she reached the top of the stairs. Kurai stood and emerged wearily from the curtains. His long black hair had been tied loosely in several jeweled cloths. The tied tresses draped over his pale and muscular shoulder. A raven sat perched on his other. He stroked it gently with his clawed fingertips. His entire torso was exposed as a robe of black and purple hung from his narrow waist. Ancient runes were tattooed over his arms and his chest telling of some kind of spell or magic. His arms, wrists, and neck were decorated with golden bands and gauntlets or a necklace. He smiled softly as he saw Zeal kneeling.  
"Lady Zeal. You are so prompt," he said softly. Zeal lowered her head more.  
"Because you summoned me, master." Kurai chuckled and lifted her to stand. Zeal blushed. He was a very handsome being. Kurai's eyes twinkled and he chuckled at the thought. Zeal shuddered as his hand trailed up the length of her torso and circled her breast. His simple touch had her on the brink of an orgasm. He stopped and she whimpered in protest. "Do well with this task and ye shall see how… rewarding I can be," he whispered.  
"Y-yes, master," she breathed.  
"Come…" He tapped the staff he held to the stone floor once and they immediately levitated over the sea of the abyss. The raven circled over them and followed. Zeal watched below them at all of the executions and rebirths.  
"Badamon told ye of the little trick to get rid of our little summoners, yes?" Zeal stiffened.  
"Y-yes. He mentioned it to me."  
"Good…" They came upon another large platform where the source of the lava-like water flowed. Six priests encased in the large bubbles were sending electrical energy into a creature as it stood in a pool where the source of the abyss bubbled upward. The beast was writhing in pain or so it seemed. It was coated in the thick liquid, as it stood straight. They approached it as the priests continued.  
Kurai turned to Zeal and removed a small knife from the hilt on his jeweled belt. She watched him with interest. He looked up to see the raven that had been circling them. He beckoned it in an ancient tongue. The raven flew to his shoulder and deposited an empty purple and gold encrusted vial. He petted the bird lovingly and kissed it gently before it flew off and perched on the stone gargoyles at the entrance to the flow of the water. "Master?" she began softly. Kurai exposed his wrist and sliced open a vein with a flash of the knife. Dark, purple tinged blood flowed freely from the wound. Zeal gasped in shock. Kurai returned the knife to his belt and opened the vial with his free hand, filling the bottle to the brim, before closing it with the jeweled stopper. His wound closed up immediately. He stumbled.  
"Master, are you all right?" she gasped, holding him upright. Kurai chucked and handed her the vial.  
"I just need to rest…" He held himself up with his staff. "Dip any blade ye choose into that. Cut anything and it will be given the quickest death. Ye both are to return to the mortal realm and dispatch Kongo, Rekka, Tenku, and Suiko. Leave Korin… for now. Start with Rekka if you wish. He is going after Kongo."  
"He? My master… I do not understand." Kurai gestured to the pool.  
The electrical bombardment stopped and the priests vanished. Kurai pushed away from Zeal and stepped into the waters toward the beast. It was breathing hard on all fours, tail lashing out angrily. A feral growl came as he approached. "Are ye ready?" Kurai asked. The beast nodded and stood upright, bare and a little shaky on his legs. He turned grinning in that familiar wild like way.  
"Always, my master," he chuckled. Zeal gasped.  
"Raiko!" The feline warlord slinked toward her and started to purr.  
"Miss me?" he whispered.  
"How?"  
"Nine lives, my dear…" He slipped behind her and slid his hands beneath her kimono and to her breasts. He began to knead them gently, getting a pleasurable moan from her. She was still hot from the simple touch Kurai had given her. Raiko chuckled and removed her robe easily. "Step into the pool… Kurai has given me even more power… Power enough to help you destroy Loyalty's little red bird," he breathed against her neck. Zeal moaned softly as he lifted her to the pool.  
Kurai stood by and watched. _Fools…_

* * *

**A/N** Bah! 8 months and only one freaking chapter! Grahhh. This was a tricky one to do. The next one should come up a LOT faster than this one. Hope you liked it! Poor Badamon, eh? 


	40. Rock Hard Rain of Justice

"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Forty: Rock Hard Rain of Justice

Yuli's eyes widened as Cale brought down a rough blow with his sword. The boy lifted his sword up just in time to block before the force of it throwing him off balance and to the ground with a thud. Cale leaned over him and chuckled. "That was good… until you fell on your behind." Yuli rubbed the back of his elbow. It was scraped.

"You throw those swings too hard," Yuli replied.

"I was holding back… A LOT," Cale laughed. "But you are improving!" he added with a smirk. He lifted Yuli to his feet by the back of his shirt. Yuli smiled.

"Whoa, really?"

"Yep. Dais has taught you a lot it seems… And here I thought he was nothing but a dullard!" Yuli dusted off himself.

"He's really strict though," he began. "I get hit if my stance isn't just right or if I miss something."

"He's not used to having students so young… You'll toughen up in time."

"I hope so."

"Ready?"

"Yeah!" Cale watched Yuli back up a few paces and adjust his stance. There was a soft gust of wind. Not a very strong one, but enough to draw ones' attention. Cale lowered his sword slowly and turned. The wind chimes tingled softly. A faint floral scent tickled his nose. A chill ran down his spine as it subsided. "Something wrong, Cale?"

Silence.

There was a blast of a hard wind, knocking Yuli down. The wind blew furiously and Cale could have sworn he heard Shakujo's rings chiming madly. Yuli covered his head, as Cale stood strong in the gusts. Suddenly, it stopped. The chiming continued slowly, before it faded with the breeze. Yuli stood up slowly. "What was that?"

"I… I don't know," he murmured.

* * *

"Aw shit…" Kento grumbled as he rummaged through the picnic basket. Megami was spreading the blanket out underneath the large oak tree. 

"Something wrong?"

"I forgot the silverware. Damn."

"Oh here," she opened the lid of the basket. On the underside was a zippered pocket. "I put them in there so they wouldn't poke holes in the baggies."

"Whaaaat? I didn't know that's what it was for," he laughed.

"Now you know!" she laughed. Without another word she went back to fixing the blanket.

_Insert awkward silence now…_ Kento thought to himself. "Need some help?"

"Nope!" she replied. She started to hum. Kento sighed and walked over to the lake's shore. He picked up a few flat rocks and started to skip several on the water's surface. "… can't even make decent conversation… such a moron… man…" he grumbled. An orange butterfly flew by his nose. He watched it settle on the trunk of a large tree. He peered at it more closely, then grinned. "Hey Megami."

"Whaft?" she said through a mouth full of food. He laughed.

"C'mere."

"What? Is there something in the water? You better not try to push me in!" she frowned. He rolled his eyes.

"Here." He placed one of the rocks he had in her hand.

"A rock?" He stood behind her and held her waist as he positioned her where he wanted.

"Throw it at that tree."

"Which one?"

"The big one by the lake."

"Why?"

"Just do it!" he laughed. Megami rolled her eyes and hurled the rock aiming for the tree. As it connected thousands of butterflies filled the air around them. Kento beamed when she practically squealed with delight. She watched the swarm flutter across the lake with a giant smile. "Wow, Kento-kun! I didn't know butterflies could do that!"

"Pretty cool, huh?" She leapt into his arms and gave him a warm hug.

"Yeah!" She pulled away slowly, but not completely. She blushed heavily and tried pulling away. Kento held her close.

"Meg?"

"I-I know Kento-kun… but… I'm not ready." Kento just pulled her into another large embrace and sighed.

"S'okay… I don't wanna rush it either…" He kissed her hair. "I just…" Megami pulled away with a giggle and poked him in the nose.

"Stop worrying! I'm not going anywhere!" Kento rubbed the end of it.

"Owww… I know that!" he chuckled.

"Let's eat!"

"Sounds good," he smirked. "I could eat a horse!" Megami turned back to the blanket.

"Heeeeeeey…" She ran up to the spot. The basket was gone. "Our food! Kento!"

"What? I was with you! Maybe Kongo ate it!" Kento suggested sarcastically.

"Kongo can't eat people food!" she snapped. "Kongo! Heeeeeeeey!"

The large minotaur peered around the tree and startled Hardrock. "HWHOA!" Megami smiled.

"Have you seen where the food went?" Kongo pointed into the woods. Megami scratched her head. "In there?"

"Maybe a bear ate it?" Kento said. "C'mon. Let's go. It's personal!"

"Wait! It's just food!" Megami exclaimed. "Maybe he really was hungry… Kento! Haaay!" Kento stopped at the edge of the woods and frowned. Megami looked up at the trees. "Whoa… it's dark in there," she mumbled, grabbing his arm.

"A little too dark to me. It's broad daylight!" Megami gulped when Kento summoned the orange and ivory subarmor.

"Think Talpa took our food?" she asked meekly and started to follow him.

"Well, he's not emperor anymore according to Sekh and Managi…" He pushed branches out of the way and ducked over others. "Must be a little bored I bet…"

"I guess… What do you think, Kongo?" She turned and he was gone… and so was the path. "Kongo? Kento! The path's gone!"

"Wha?" He turned, making a face. "Damn it… I'm trying to have a nice quiet date here!" he shouted and punched the ground. "First the food, now the day… Grrr."

"Let's just get outta here… Which way is out?" Kento looked up.

"Up. You'd better get your gear on. Can't be too careful."

"R-right." Megami closed her eyes and suddenly felt the ground beneath her quake gently as she was surrounded by a gathering whirlwind of dust. Almost immediately, she was engulfed in a soft orange colored light, with tendrils of power tapering off her glowing body. A dark, amber cloak gathered at her shoulders, then seemed to fall like water down her slender now armored self. Onyx armor, glided over her skin warming her chilled body. Her eyes glimmered orange as they peeked out from underneath the darkness of her hood. Megami touched back to the ground and stood beside him warily as the rest of the dust subsided.

Kento blinked. "Cool…" She blushed heavily.

"I can't just put it on like you guys can… with all the pretty flowers and junk…" Kento just gave a small laugh.

"Come on… Let's get outta here."

"Going somewhere, pets?"

* * *

"Something wrong, little one?" Anubis asked when Tori's playful behavior stopped suddenly. She just relaxed the side of her head against his chest as he still lay 'pinned' beneath her. She sighed. 

"Nothing. I was just thinking…" Anubis folded his arms behind his head and let her continue to rest against him. The tone in her voice seemed to strike something in the back of his mind. It bothered him. He looked up at the bright blue sky through the trees. "What were you thinking?" he asked softly. "Was is about Korin?"

"Huh?" she mumbled, munching on her apple again. "Oh, nah…" Anubis shifted slightly.

"… Wildfire?" Her silence was his answer. "… Don't fret about it. How you are going to defend yourself against my former is more important, I think." Tori sighed and lifted off of him. She stared down at the apple.

"… Do…" Anubis looked at her when she stopped. She looked down at him. The look in her eyes caused him to lean on his elbows.

"Yes?"

"… Do I really look like _her_?" Tori asked softly. Anubis stiffened, not at all surprised by her question. He knew it was coming though no matter how hard he tried he wasn't ready when she asked it. He sat up slowly and remained silent for a long moment before he extended his hand, summoning his kusari-gama. Tori jumped.

"Holy shit, 'nubie! It was just a question! I'm sorry!" she exclaimed.

"No, you little idiot," he snapped. He took the soft fabric of his surcoat and buffed the reflective surface of the large blade. After a few rubs with the cloth, he held it in front of her face. Tori saw her own reflection staring quizzically back at her.

"… Ask me again," he ordered gently. Tori colored.

"D-do I look like her?" she asked softly, looking into her own eyes, and answering her own question. She lowered her eyes as he banished the weapon. She didn't say a word. Anubis took her hands and lifted her eyes.

"… Now do you understand?" he asked softly. "When I get you both confused, I don't do it to upset you. I cannot help it. Yes, you do resemble her, but… even when she was… _human_, I find that you are kinder, more loving, and more selfless than she ever was. That is what makes you different than she… Do we understand one another?" Tori nodded silently.

"… So… if I were to ask who was cuter, you'd have a hard time with that, huh?" she asked, attempting to sound as serious as she could before falling into giggles. Anubis rolled his eyes.

"Well, since you put it that way, neither."

"'_Neither'_? What the hell?"

" _I_ am prettier than both of you combined, so that question isn't relevant!" he smirked.

"I wasn't asking about _you_!" she sputtered.

"That's why it wasn't relevant!" he laughed. Tori pouted.

"You are _so_ self-absorbed." Anubis simply laughed at her comment.

"Come on… Let's finish up for today," he said as he started to clean up the picnic blanket. Tori groaned.

"I don't wanna walk all the way back to the field!"

"We can practice here if you want. We won't need so much space this time." Tori jumped up.

"Yay!"

* * *

Kayura took the journal Mia handed her and sat down at the desk. "I haven't seen or spoken this language in a very long time. Since I was a child… It will take a little bit of time and some praying to translate it, but I'm afraid I don't know how accurate it will be. Plus, I am still looking for ways to restore Whiteblaze's vision." 

"Do the best you can, Kayura. You won't have to worry about the rest of it. Anubis can read practically anything," Dais reassured. "And we can help you look for something for Whiteblaze also," he added.

"Yes… Anubis was a little bit of a 'geek', wasn't he?" she giggled. "I've been looking into spells and such in one of the books I brought from home. I haven't found anything worth trying though… I need a break so I'll get started on translating right away," she smiled. There was a small pause as she touched the surface of the journal. "Have you told Rekka about it yet?"

"No, she is out with Anubis. The both of them have been quite 'thorough' with training lately," Dais chuckled. "And she's has been _quite_ the 'teacher's pet'…" Mia rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure she is. Some pet," she giggled.

"My lady we really have to put that _polluted_ mind to better use, hmm?" Dais said against her ear. Mia's cheeks flared.

"DAIS!"

"Get a room, you two…"

* * *

Sai checked the clock on the stove and frowned a little. "That's odd. I figured they would be back by now." 

"Who?" Sakura asked as she helped him prepare for the night's meal.

"Megami and Kento. They've been gone a long time."

"Maybe Meg decided to have a little _hard_ candy after lunch?" she giggled.

"I thought she was going to wait after what happened?" he reminded. Sakura shrugged.

"Maybe they just wanted to be alone to talk things over. Tori and Anubis are still gone to, you know," she pointed out. Sai started to wash the vegetables in the sink. He saw them outside the window.

"No, they're outside fighting."

"_Again_!" she groaned.

"Well, sparring. They're goin' at it pretty hard. Look!" He pointed. Sakura peered out the window.

"Wow. She looks pretty tired."

"Smiling?" he smirked wryly. "Didn't think she liked it rough."

"You perv." She gasped and covered her mouth when Tori took a hard blow to the face. "Oh shit!" Tori didn't get up from the ground. She just covered her nose and stayed down with Anubis leaning over her looking a little worried.

"Lord! He really needs to be a little more gentle with her!" Sai puffed. He wasn't too fond of hitting of girls or anyone who did it intentional or not. He stopped what he was doing and prepared an ice pack. "That's gonna leave a mark."

"OH!" Sakura gasped again. "Atta girl!" she cheered. Sai rushed to the window.

"What! What happened!"

"Anubis went to check on her when she elbowed him in the gut!"

"Dirty fighter…"

"He stuck her in the face, Sai! You don't _do_ that to cute girls!" Sai chuckled. He went over to the kitchen back door and stuck his head outside.

"Hey you two! Get a room!" he laughed. They stopped in mid-fight, both panting heavily. Anubis grinned and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"You know you like to watch, Torrent," he shot back. Tori colored softly and used her cloak to dry off. She looked around, surprised to see that they ended up all the way back at the house. The spot where they had started was at least a good twenty-minute walk! Sakura met her with an ice pack as they entered the cool kitchen.

"That hit looked ugly. Here."

"Yeah… Ow," she touched her nose it was bleeding a little. Anubis placed a hand on her head gently.

"You all right?" he asked with a tired grin. Tori nodded breathlessly and winced. "Let me see…" She squeaked when he lifted her by her waist and placed her on the counter, tipping her head back to examine her. "Broken?"

"No… That fuckin' hurt, Red," she shot.

"You know, you should be a little more gentle when you play with her, Anubis," Sai scolded. Anubis soaked a washcloth and nursed Tori's nose, almost ignoring his motherly comment. "She's tough. Aren't you?" he winked. A tear leaked from her eye and she didn't answer. The adrenaline was wearing off and now it really started to hurt. "… I suppose I did over do it a little," he murmured. "Where is Halo?"

"I think he's upstairs taking a nap. Domo looked pretty… thrashed," Sai murmured. Tori's head shot over to him. "What! Ow!"

"Hold still," Anubis ordered firmly.

"Ow! Hn… Is she okay though?" Sakura grinned.

"She and Sage were holding hands on the way upstairs sooooo," she started to giggle. Tori smiled.

"That's good…" Anubis continued to clean off the blood streaks and mud off of her face.

"I told you, little one… Hm, it looks like that cut reopened. You'll need a few stitches," he said softly. Tori groaned.

The kitchen door shot open and Yuli zipped in with Cale shortly after him. "Hey! What's cookin'?" he beamed and climbed on a stool. "Need help?" Sakura smiled.

"Sure kiddo, but first wash your hands. You're a mess."

"Yes ma'am!" Cale pulled up a stool next to Anubis and Tori.

"Woah. You look like hell, Rekka."

"Thanks, Cale. You really know what to say to a lady," Tori gruffed.

"Sorry," he chuckled. "What happened?"

"Anubis happened."

"Good Lord, man! _What_ did she say to you!" he exclaimed. Anubis rolled his eyes.

"We were sparring. She wanted to keep going."

"Yep." Tori held the cloth to her nose.

"You fight dirty, you know that," Anubis said and washed the bloody cloth.

"You stuck me _in the face_, Red!" she snapped. Yuli was helping Sakura peel potatoes.

"I thought you said it wasn't okay to hit girls, Anubis," Yuli pointed out. Anubis sighed.

"It wasn't on purpose. We were sparring!" he defended… again.

"Man, she really must have been creamin' you!" Anubis grumbled to himself. Tori hopped down from the counter.

"Nah, I told him to get rough. It's okay," she said. Anubis shrugged silently.

"Come. Let's get you stitched."

"Anubis…" Cale began.

"Yes?"

"Have you noticed anything… odd?"

"No… not really. Why?"

"We heard the Ancient's staff earlier today and there was all this wind!" Yuli exclaimed. "I thought it was another one of the Dynasty raids, but we heard the staff! Then it was all calm again!"

"'Jiisan," Tori whispered. "Maybe he's come back!" she exclaimed happily.

"Maybe…" Cale murmured. He fell silent.

"We'll have to wait and see… Come," Anubis murmured to Tori. She followed reluctantly, wanting to hear more of what had happened to Cale and Yuli.

* * *

"Sit on the counter and keep holding that cloth to your nose," Anubis instructed as they entered his bathroom. He kneeled down and dug underneath the bathroom sink for the first aid kit. Mia put one in _every_ bathroom. Tori obeyed silently and sighed. 

"'Nubie?" she began. He colored as he left the room to get something.

"Y-yes?"

"… Do you think that 'Jiisan's come back?" she asked softly. Anubis returned with a green vial from his trunk. Tori looked down at the cloth in her hands. Anubis sighed heavily. "I… want to believe it, but… I don't believe so, little one…"

"I thought you might say that…" Anubis ran a washcloth underneath the faucet and wrung it out before cleaning off the cuts and scrapes on her face. They had both changed out of the armor; they were still just as sweaty and dirty. "All I can tell you is that… Kaos _is_ watching over us."

"I hope so… Ow."

"Sorry." He dabbed more gently at the large gash on her brow. "Looks like you'll need stitches there too…"

"I hope you know what you're doing. I don't want scars."

"It comes with the territory, little one. You'll just have to get over that," he said. Tori pouted.

"It's hard enough to get a date with my face all ready…" she mumbled. Anubis stopped and gave her a hard look.

"You know you are gorgeous, so stop that. Besides, I don't think Wildfire will care if you have a few little nicks." Tori's face flared.

"… Really?"

"Really, really," he chuckled. He took a cotton ball and opened the vial. Tori watched him.

"What's that?"

"This? It prevents infection from _both_ our worlds. Who knows what is floating around in the air around here now? It should minimize scarring too." Tori took it and sniffed it.

"Blegh!"

"It'll--"

"Owww!"

"—sting. Sorry." Tori winced as it began to burn as he swabbed her brow and the corner of her mouth. "It'll stop soon. It'll numb it too so you won't feel the needle," he said as he held the needle in his teeth while getting out the stitching thread. Tori swallowed as she saw the size of it.

"What?"

"I don't like needles very much…" Anubis wiped the needle with some of the liquid from the vial.

"Numb?"

"Kinda." Anubis threaded the needle and tipped her head back to start on her eyebrow.

"Hold still. You'll feel a pinch," he warned. Tori winced a little. "There. See? It's through." Tori saw it in the mirror and felt a little better.

"Where did you learn this stuff?"

"War. I had to stitch a lot of my own wounds when I first started fighting," he said and continued to carefully and thoroughly close the wound. Tori's nose was filled with the scent of spring rain and sweat. She colored. He was a little close. _He smells REALLY good._ "What's the worst one you had?"

"Worst one? Ooh… Um… Well, I didn't tend to that one, but…" He lifted the side of his shirt up exposing his hip. There was a set of three scars equal distance apart right below his rub cage. It looked like he had been stabbed with a rather _large_ fork. Tori blinked. "What was that?"

"Cale."

"Cale did that?"

"His claw did it. That was when Kaos had shown me how evil Talpa really was. Talpa sent the three of them to retrieve me. Badamon fixed that one. It still gets sore from time to time."

"Sheesh…" She poked it. He squirmed.

"Hey that tickles!" Tori grinned and poked again. "H-hey!" he laughed. He accidentally pulled a little too hard on the stitching. Tori hissed.

"Ow!"

"Whoops…"

"'Whoops'! What the crap?" she whimpered. It really hurt. "Dang it! It feels like I've gotten my eyebrows plucked a billion times!"

"Sorry. I warned you though…" He started again. "I'm almost done with this one." Tori looked up at him as he worked. He caught sight of her and stopped. "Something wrong?" She looked away.

"No, nothing."

"Something," he argued, putting in the final stitch and securing it. He dabbed it gently with more of the liquid and covered it with a bandage. Tori touched it to make sure it was on firmly enough. She sighed. "Wildfire again, hm?" he smirked. She nodded shyly.

"What should I do? How do I go about letting him know? Besides telling him up front…" she asked. Anubis re-threaded the needle and disinfected it before starting on the corner of her mouth. He thought a moment.

"Ask to spar," he suggested. "… Or you can utilize Kayura's tactics and flirt shamelessly," he chuckled. Tori just sighed heavily. Anubis lifted her chin. "Be your charming self, little one. If it were me, I'd rather you'd be _you_ than someone you're not." Tori flushed heavily at the thought. She nodded.

"'Kay…"

"No more questions!" he laughed. "I can't fix that pretty mouth of yours if you're talking. You want to be extra _kissable_ for 'Yo-sama, doooon't you?" he teased. Tori's face flared.

"You hush!" she pouted.

"You're so cute," he chuckled. Tori's heart thudded.

_He thinks I'm cute?_ "Hey 'Nubie?" He colored.

"Whaaaaaat?"

"Wanna spar again after dinner?" He blinked, a little shocked.

"Well, I suppose we can. Are you sure you're up to it?"

"I can handle anything you can dish out, buddy!" she grinned wryly, then winced when it hurt. Anubis rolled his eyes.

"Oh really?"

"Yep!"

* * *

Megami narrowly dodged the attack that would have cleaved her shoulder had it connected._ Yipes! That was too close for comfort! I'm just a girl that wanted nothing more than to have a nice, quiet picnic! Why does this stuff always happen to me?_ she whined to herself. She rolled out of the way of another slash of a rather large sabre. She frowned at her attacker: Raiko. 

"Nice try, furball!" Megami said in a smug tone, slashing at his head with the bo staff, hoping it would make contact. It didn't. It was easily blocked with his sabre and their weapons locked. Each put all of their strength against their end, trying to overpower the other. "Hmm, you've gotten stronger, little summoner," Raiko purred. He didn't seem to be giving much effort she noticed suddenly.

She rapidly realized she might be paying _too _much attention on trying to overpower Raiko… right before he kicked her feet out from under her, sending her tumbling to the forest floor. She rolled away just in time to avoid having the sharp and jagged blade of Raiko's sabre brought down on her. She leapt to her feet and flipped behind the warlord, catching him in the back with her staff. Raiko stumbled with an angry hiss. He pivoted on his heel, slicing sideways, missing her, barely as she back flipped out of the way towards Kento. Raiko had taken them by surprise and knocked him unconscious before concentrating his assault on her.

"Kento! Kento! Get up!" she cried, shaking him roughly. He groaned and opened his eyes in time to see Megami leap away from a swing of a large blade. "The hell?"

"Kento! Get your fat ass up and help me!" Megami squeaked and dodged another swipe of Raiko's sword. He looked like he was going back to sleep, oblivious to everything going on. Megami frowned. _That dummy! Crap, I need more time! If only Kongo were here! Wait, that's it!_

Megami stopped dodging Raiko's onslaught and turned to face him, grinning wryly. Raiko stopped himself and grinned evilly. "Well, well, pretty. Tired all ready?" Megami eyed Kento warily. He was finally starting to stir. She beamed.

"Nope!" She suddenly charged at him full force. Raiko held his sabre in front of him to catch her weapon should she use it. Megami let loose a battle cry before she passed right through the warlord and vanished.

"Huh!" He whipped around, scanning the clearing readily. Hardrock was still on the ground. He didn't concern him. Kongo was his target. He growled deep in his throat as he heard a low snort, and the scraping of dirt and forest foliage. He saw nothing. The scraping sound came once more. "Come out, pretty… or Hardrock will become _most_ unpleasant!" he threatened.

Silence.

"Kongo! Say farewell to-"

_"Blood Horns!"_ Raiko was cut off as a rumble of the earth quaked around him, shattering the ground below him. Bright beams of orange light seeped through the cracks in the forest floor before Kongo exploded out from underneath him, knocking Raiko into a large tree. Raiko swayed to his feet and saw the large mythical minotaur getting ready to charge him. His head dipped several times before coming at the dazed warlord at a speed that rivaled any beast he had ever known. Before Raiko knew it he was pinned to the large tree by the horns of Kongo.

Kento sat up slowly and felt Megami at his side. "Whoa… what the crap happened?" he grumbled looking around. He woke up quickly when he saw Raiko thrashing about trying to free himself from the vice like grip.

"Can you stand?" she asked helping him to his feet. She was hoping that Kongo was strong enough to buy some time for Kento to transform and get reoriented. Kento shook the cobwebs out of his head and instantly summoned the Hardrock armor in a flash of orange light and a shower of sakura blossoms.

Kongo groaned loudly as Raiko managed to free an arm and elbow the great guardian in the back of his skull. Kongo stumbled backward before he vanished in a wisp of dust. Megami gasped and charged forward at Raiko. "Cheap shot you bastard!"

"Ha!" Raiko laughed and blew her backwards with a blast of energy. She screamed as she slammed into the ground. She didn't get up. Kento snarled and charged at Raiko while his back was turned. "You'll pay for that, cat! I'm gonna fuck you up nasty!" he snarled. Raiko vanished before Kento's tetsubo even made its downward journey towards the back of the Warlord of Chaos' head. He stumbled forward as he felt a heavy blow to his back. Kento whipped around and swung at his attacker. He barely got a glimpse of the lavender mane before he disappeared once more. "Aw, come on! Fight me, coward!" _Dammit, it's like fighting Dais. Illusions… I HATE those damn illusions!_ He growled again. He was getting angry which was definitely not good for anyone. Getting on the defensive, he connected the tetsubo quickly. _Maybe the Iron Rock can do some area damage to snuff him out?_ Kento glanced around the clearing for Megami. He spotted her well out of range and off to the side of him. He didn't want to hurt her with his sure-kill.

Raiko hovered just above him and smirked to himself. True; his mission was to kill Kongo, but perhaps Master Kurai wouldn't mind a dead Ronin added to the task. He smirked wryly. "Oh, Hardrock," he sang. Kento whipped around and swung his tetsubo hard missing Raiko yet again. He thrust his weapon straight at him.

"Stand still, damn you!" Raiko balanced on the end of Kento's weapon. He chuckled, almost giggled. Held out his palm and blew a fine glittering powder into his eyes. Kento snarled and scrubbed his eyes. "Can't… see!" he growled, falling to one knee. His eyes watered as he opened them. Upon finally getting things to stop blurring, he discovered that the warlord was momentarily gone and it was quite foggy now. Kento hissed and rubbed his eyes again, knowing in the pit of his stomach that this was just another illusion. _Ah, dammit… I should have sparred more with Mr. Hocus Pocus…_ he grumbled to himself. He looked for Megami where she had been laying. He rushed to her.

"Meg! Meg! Oh man, wake up!" he said, shaking her gently. She murmured and opened her eyes slowly. Kento smiled. "Hey, good. You okay?"

"Man, my head feels like friggin' buckshot," she groaned and sat up slowly. She looked around. "What's with the fog?"

"Mr. Namby Pamby sprinkled faerie dust everywhere," he sneered. "My eyes are still burning…" He pulled her to her feet. "Can you sense anything out of the ordinary?" He knew Megami had an intuitiveness about the earth around her and was able to just sense things about her surroundings. It was strongest around plant life. She closed her eyes, falling silent. "… He's still here," she mumbled softly.

"Thought so…" He stepped out into the clearing. "Come on out, you pansy! I'm not gonna run away! Fight me!"

_"So impatient, Hardrock,"_ Raiko's voice echoed around them. _"You'll get yours in due course."_ A blast of energy knocked him into the ground. Megami screamed and rushed over to him only to be snatched up by Raiko himself. He held her up by her neck and sneered at her. "Pretty, pretty little summoner. Are you ready to die?" He held up a small dagger tipped in what looked like black liquid. Megami kicked and pulled on his arm trying to get breath. She eyed the dagger warily. He threw her to the ground and straddled her waist, pinning her to the ground. "Get off me!" she snapped. "Kento! Kento!" she shouted.

"Pity… You have such energy," Raiko smirked and licked the contour of her ear. She squealed and pushed his face away, striking at him hard. Raiko growled in his throat with a smile.

* * *

Nasake giggled as she saw Whiteblaze pawing at the wrapping paper when she set the present down in front of him. He couldn't see it, but he knew what it was: catnip. He purred and his tail swished happily. "You gonna open it, boy?" 

"There you are, babe," Ryo smirked and hopped onto the couch beside her as he entered the living room. "Rowen said that you got 'Blaze something!" Nasake nodded.

"Yeah. I made it while we were in the city. He won't open it though." Whiteblaze pawed at it again. He seemed to like hearing the paper wrinkle.

"Where's Rowen?"

"Right here!" He jumped down the stairs with a roll of duct tape in his hands. "Here you are, 'Sake. A brand _spankin'_ new roll!" Nasake giggled evilly.

"Yay!" Ryo raised an eyebrow.

"I've _never_ heard you laugh like that. It's a little creepy, hon. What's the tape for?"

"No oooone," she sang. Whiteblaze lifted the wrapped present into Ryo's lap.

"Oh, you want me to open it, huh? 'Kay." He tore off the wrapping and grinned.

"Heeey! She got you a…" A soft, plush-like person grinned up at him.

"Guess!" Nasake grinned. "Guess who it is!"

"Purple robes… blue skin… really long beard… Ha! It's a Badamon plushie!" he laughed. "Here ya go, boy." Whiteblaze grabbed Nasake's sleeve with his teeth and pulled. She fell forward and he lavished her with kisses.

"Blaaaaaaaze!" she squealed. "Quit!"

"He's just sayin' thank you, 'Sake," Ryo laughed. "Hey Ro, he's makin' a move on your girl!"

"Whoa! Hey now, buddy!" Rowen laughed. Nasake sat up and hugged the cat.

"I'm glad that you like it, boy…" He purred in response.

"Ryo. How is Kayura coming along with finding something for Whiteblaze?" Rowen asked. Ryo scratched behind the giant feline's ears with a sad sigh.

"Nothing worth trying. Everything is either too dangerous or the ingredients aren't available. She is still looking though…" Whiteblaze groaned softly.

"I'm sure she'll find something, boy," Nasake cooed. "Everything will be all right," she reassured and kissed his nose.

Whiteblaze started to rub his eyes again with a small whimper. Nasake touched him. "No, don't do that. You'll make it worse." Whiteblaze whined again and lay down on the floor, rubbing at his eyes again. "'Blaze no!" Ryo ordered, moving to stop him. Whiteblaze growled suddenly before howling with agony. Nasake scrambled back next to Rowen, afraid of being clawed. "What's wrong with him!" she exclaimed. They watched Whiteblaze whimper and groan, rubbing his eyes and snarling.

"Whiteblaze!" Ryo cried, fear striking the very depth of him as blood started seep out of his eyes like tears. Nasake hurried to the stairs.

"I'll get Sage!" Ryo again tried to get close to the tiger, but barely dodged a claw as it grazed his arm.

"Careful, 'Yo!" Rowen warned, holding him back. Tears started from Ryo's eyes as he watched his childhood companion suffer.

A dark blue light suddenly enveloped the beast, calming him considerably. When it subsided after a short time Whiteblaze lifted his head slowly. He whined softly as he opened his eyes carefully. The lights in the living room seemed so bright.

Ryo's eyes widened as once dark chocolate colored eyes were now a lovely shade of gold and silvery blue. "W-whiteblaze?" Ryo breathed, crawling close. The cat shook his head a few times and looked straight at Ryo and then at Rowen. A shaken hand reached up to touch the fur on the side of his face. "You okay, boy?" Rowen asked softly and also touched the fur. Whiteblaze purred and leaned into the contact. "C-can… can you… see us?" Ryo whimpered through happy tears. A gentle nudge and purr were his answers. Ryo clutched the tiger helplessly and buried his face into his neck, crying.

"What the devil is going on!" Dais demanded as he, Mia, Sai, Sakura, Cale, and Yuli rushed into the room. They froze at the sight. "What… what happened?" Mia asked. Whiteblaze turned his eyes to everyone, resulting in a collective gasp within the group.

"Whiteblaze?" Yuli began softly. The feline looked straight at him. "You can s-see?"

Tackle. "ACK! Whiteblaaaaaaaaaze!" Yuli squealed.

The entire room exploded with cheers and shouts. Mia and Sakura tried not to cry, but they were just too happy. Nasake returned with Sage, Domo, Tori, and Anubis hurriedly following down the stairs. "What in the name of Kaos is going on!" Anubis exclaimed. Whiteblaze leapt over the couch and pounced on him, lavishing his face with tiger kisses. "Ack!" Tori and Domo exploded into giggles.

"Whiteblaze can see again!" Sakura cried and hugged Sai. Another roar of cheering ripped through the house. Kayura finally emerged and removed her headphones.

"What's going on?" she asked. "Is everything—AAAAA!" Whiteblaze pounced like clockwork.

* * *

Megami fought to regain her freedom from the weight of the warlord on top of her body. With one arm pinned above her head, proved the task to be a little more than… difficult. She stopped struggling and just glared up at him. Raiko smirked, "Giving up?" 

"Nope!" she chirped and managed to snatch his tail in a crushing grip. Raiko snarled as she pulled and gripped it hard. "Get off me!" she demanded and managed to free her other arm as Raiko brought down the dagger to stab her. She caught that and struggled to keep the blade from falling. The grip she had on his tail made it a little harder for the warlord to concentrate on using all of his strength. Kongo's summoner inherited her guardian's might. "Filthy twat of a woman!" he snarled, fangs gleaming. Megami frowned.

"That's… not… NICE!" she gritted out and yanked hard on the beast warrior's tail. He howled, weakening enough for Megami to push his arm away. _Sheesh! He's like… part Saiyan or something!_ Raiko gripped the ground in pain as Megami clutched it standing over him. The forest fog had begun to dissipate and she was able to spot Kento in a nearby patch of grass. "Whew… Good. He's—"

"Die!" Raiko with every last ounce of strength he had lunged for Megami's legs and sliced her calf with the black-tipped blade. Megami screamed as the wound began to burn. She released his tail and fell to the ground, vision swimming as the venomous fluid broke into her system. Raiko stood warily and sneered over her. He was ready to plunge the dagger into her heart when a large mass crashed into him.

Kento let out a raw roar as he tackled the feral demon to the ground and wrestled the blade from his hand. He head-butted the warlord and kicked Raiko over him with a snarl. Kento scrambled to his feet as the fog returned and Raiko withdrew his sabre. He grinned. "Come, Hardrock. Show me what you are made of, boy." Snarling Kento twirled his tetsubo with lightning speed over his head.

"Not sugar and spice and everything nice, ya fuckin' beast!" he snapped. The ground began to shake as bits of rock and electrical energy encircled the two from the earth and atmosphere around them. "_Iron Rock Crusher!_" Kento brought down the blade of his tetsubo hard onto the clearing ground and split it in two as the energy barreled towards the Warlord of Chaos. In a blast of amber light, bits of earth and dust showered the clearing as all became silent. Kento relaxed slightly. It took some strength to stand up straight. _Dammit… I've got some broken ribs…_ He glanced over at Megami: out like a light. He moved to assess her.

"Is that all you have, Hardrock!" Raiko roared suddenly and dashed out of the curtain of dust and rock. He slashed the front of the Hardrock armor, catching a bit of his cheek and neck in the downward strike. Kento collapsed onto his back, helmet knocking loose. Raiko stood over him and kicked his tetsubo away from him before raising him off of the ground by some unknown power. Kento hung in the air as if he were a rag doll. Raiko delivered a punch to his face and then to his stomach, knocking the wind and a bit of blood from Hardrock's burning lungs. _Damn… Punctured a lung. Great._ Kento hacked violently as Raiko began to put some distance between himself and the Warrior of Strength. "Hardrock… You mean to tell me that this is all that the great Ronin of Justice can muster? Surely you can't really be this _soft_!" he laughed. Kento lifted his head and grinned to Raiko's surprise.

"… I'm harder than you'll ever get, shit for brains," Kento stabbed and spat blood before coughing again. Raiko just smirked and held up his sabre. With a glint of the sun's rays it transformed into Kento's staff.

"How is this for hard?" He began to twirl the staff high in the air, creating a whirl of wind with it. Bits of earth in the air and chunks of rock and dirt began to hover in mystical lines around Raiko. The ground quaked violently before silence filled the forest and Raiko retuned the sure kill ten-fold.

"No!" Megami tackled Kento's batter body, pulling him out of the air and narrowly dodging it. The fell to the ground with a thud, only to find that Megami had absorbed the brunt of the attack: her back and legs were badly scraped and bleeding. She promptly passed out cold on the ground.

"Oh well… I got at least one of you," Raiko chirped. Kento stood warily. He raised his hand and his tetsubo flew to his hand like lightning. He turned and just glared deadly at Raiko.

Silence. All Kento could hear was the thudding of his own heart. He glanced down at Megami. He body had begun to pulse with a soft amber color in time with his heartbeats. The amber grew brighter as a ball of light lifted out of her body and towards Kento. It emitted a softer light and a gentle breeze of wind. He lifted his hand slowly, almost holding it gently in his palm. _Let the shard of the earth pass judgment upon it._ He heard the voice as clear as a bell, yet no other sound reached his ears. The ball got larger and the dust and dirt around him started to orbit around him. Kento took his eyes off of the ball and smirked at Raiko. The warlord stood, dumbfounded.

The ball of light shot up towards the sun, all of the debris following. "_Sonic Boom!" _With all his strength, Kento hurled his tetsubo towards the ball of light and earth. There was a roar of the loudest thunder hear, splitting the ears of the feral demon. He stared up at the sky, blinded by the light for a brief moment before shards and slivers of earth pierced and speared his body in and straight through every inch. The tetsubo followed in suit spearing Raiko to the ground as he still stood amidst the raining shards of earth from above.

Kento collapsed to his knees beside Megami. She was barely conscious. He lifted her gently in his arms. "Meg! Oh shit… You okay?" he breathed, checking her over for her injuries. They were a little worse than normal. He had seen the other girls survive a lot worse. He then noticed a blacking gash on her leg. The armor was gone from her body and her entire calf seemed to be growing more and more grey and lifeless. "Something was… on that dagger. I… don't feel so good, Kento-kun," she gasped. Kento saw the dagger and reached for it. He picked it up and stared at it.

"Hold on, Megami. We'll get you to Sage, okay?" He was greeted with silence as her eyes glazed over a dark golden color like she had when she and the other girls were attacked. "Megami! Hey!" Tears filled the younger warriors eyes. It was at least a mile back to the house and he couldn't lift her with his broken ribs. He pulled her close trying to stay calm enough to think of something. "Think man… think!"

There was a gust of wind and a crashing of rings before a blinding light disrupted his vision. The sound of the forest disappeared and the next thing Kento knew were the sounds of Halo's name being called by Dais and Sekhmet and the cold touch of the marble floor of the front foyer.

* * *

**A/N**: Yes, yes. School has started and I officially have no life. The past 6 months have been taxing and some personal problems kidnapped my muse. Oh. I do not own the phrase "Sonic Boom". I ripped it off Guile from Street Fighter. Nyah. I like him so there! 


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